JULIA  LEGRAXD 

"She    remembers    Miss    Julia    as    always    in    a    soft, 

trailing  white  gown,  full  of  romantic  fancies,  and  always  accompanied 
by  a  great  dog,  the  gift  of  a  lover,  an  absent  one,  about  whom  there 
was  some  mystery.  She  is  remembered  as  being  very  beautiful  and 
graceful,  with  a  suggestion  of  pensiveness  about  her,  which  was  no 
doubt  heightened  by  a  childish  imagination."  See  page  23. 


THE  JOURNAL 

OF 

JULIA  LE  GRAND 

NEW  ORLEANS 
1862-1863 


Edited  by 
Kate  Mason  Rowland 

and 

Mrs.  Morris  L,.  Croxall 


RICHMOND  s 

EVERETT  WADDEY  CO. 
1911 


ESfO 
W3 


BY  KATE  MASON  ROWLAND  AND 
MES.  MORRIS  L.  CROXALL. 


TO 

EDITH  PYE  WEEDEN, 
THE  "LITTLE  NIECE"  FOR  WHOM  THE 

JOURNAL  WAS  WRITTEN, 
THIS  VOLUME  IS  AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED 
BY  THE  EDITORS. 


M8854-4 


PREFACE 

The  period,  the  place,  the  circumstances  of  this 
diary  are  replete  with  the  romance  of  the  great 
war  that  made  for  the  Confederate  States  of 
America  the  glorious  name  in  history  which  is 
the  rich  inheritance  of  our  people  today.  The 
story  of  New  Orleans,  the  proud,  the  beautiful 
city,  in  her  thraldom  under  Butler  and  Banks,  is 
here  interwoven  with  a  family  chronicle.  But  it 
is  not  merely  a  graphic  recital  of  thrilling  events. 
The  writer,  a  lady  of  rare  intellectual  powers,  of 
fine  attainments,  and  great  beauty  of  character, 
suffuses  her  pages  with  the  charm  of  her  own 
personality.  Now  humorous,  now  pathetic,  as 
she  tells  of  the  trials  and  mortifications  to  which 
she  and  her  friends  were  subjected,  she  preserves 
always  a  certain  elevation  of  thought,  a  dignity 
of  soul,  displaying  in  the  stress  and  strain  of  her 
environment,  noble  traits  of  patience,  forbear 
ance  and  charity. 

Ardently  patriotic,  she  claimed  two  States  for 
her  allegiance,  Maryland  and  Louisiana,  and  this 
volume  should  appeal  especially,  therefore,  to  the 
Confederates  of  these  two  Commonwealths. 
Though  a  resident  of  Louisiana  from  her  girl 
hood,  she  was  born  in  "Maryland,  my  Mary 
land,"  and  was  of  Maryland  ancestry. 

5 


6  PREFACE 

Texas  also  may  lay  claim  to  Julia  LeGrand, 
for  here  she  spent  the  latter  part  of  her  life ;  here 
she  married  and  died. 

But  to  all  Confederates,  wherever  found,  who 
love  and  remember  the  Cause  to  which  their  gen 
erous  youth  was  pledged;  and  to  all  their  de 
scendants,  the  "Sons"  and  "Daughters"  of  the 
Confederate  South,  this  Journal  may  be  com 
mended. 


CONTENTS 

BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH    13 

JOURNAL    35 

DECEMBEB  1,  1861 — DECEMBER  31,  1862. 

I.  Sending  clothes  to  Claude — Dinner  at  Mrs.  Norton  s— 
Sewing  for  the  soldiers — Free  market — The  LeGrands 
give  a  little  supper — THE  FALL  OF  NEW  ORLEANS — 
Ladies  sign  paper  praying  that  the  city  may  not  be 
given  up — Mail  communication  cut  off — The  Mayor 
behaves  with  dignity— Letter  to  General  Shepley— 
His  character  described — Letter  to  Mrs.  John 
Chilton — "Butler  and  his  Brother,"  poem — Letter  to 
Mrs.  Shepherd  Brown — "The  Ladies'  Farewell  to 
Brutal  Ferocity  Butler,"  poem — Julia  Ann_steals 
money,  and  ^;uns__awaj— Negro  snaTce worship — 
Rumors  of  a  negro  insurrection — Christmas  dinner 
given  by  ladies  to  Confederate  prisoners 35 

JANUARY  1 — JANUARY  28,  1863. 

II.  The   Ogden  girls — General   Shepley  and  Mrs.  Norton — 

The  "gorgeous  French" — A  young  Confederate  cap 
tain — Harriet  steals  money — Mrs.  Norton's  inter 
view  with  General  Banks— ^egroos  starving  in  the 
atrfifila.— Funeral  of  Mr.  Payne — Mrs.TTavenport  and 
General  Butler— Daily  encounters  between  white  men 
and  negroes — White  men  always  punished — Regis 
tered  enemies  sent  out  of  the  city — Sherman's 
depredations  at  Milliken's  Bend — Mrs.  Waugh — Her 
beautiful  character — Sydney  Dameron's  birthnight 
party — Mrs.  Richardson  and  her  asylum — A  week  at 
Greenville — The  Ogdens  and  Randolphs — Mr.  Haines — 
The  Harrisons  61 

FEBRUARY  3 — FEBRUARY  28,  1863. 

III.  An  officer's   caper — Experiences    at    the    City    Hall- 

Register  for  passports — Get  arrest  papers  for  ser 
vants — Get  passports,  not  named,  Julia  is  "Number 
46» — Banks,  his  rudeness  and  heartlessness— The 

7 


CONTENTS 


Episcopal  ministers — Their  treatment — Account  of 
Doctor  Goodrich  and  Colonel  Strong — Scene  of  excite 
ment  at  the  church — New  paper,  the  Era — Organ  of 
the  Yankees,  Bee,  Picayune,  The  True  Delta,  all 
worthless  now — Mary  Jane  and  her  delinquencies — 
General  Banks  and  the  planters — Confederate  pris 
oners  sent  off — Letter  describing  the  scene — Artillery 
charge  the  women  and  children — Women  and  children 
detained  on  a  boat  all  night — Nothing  to  eat — Mrs. 
Roselius  and  her  husband — The  oath-taking  de 
scribed — Insubordination  and  demoralization  of  Fed 
eral  soldiers — Arrests  of  citizens  and  children — Mrs. 
Dameron  113 

MARCH  1— MABCH  15,  1863. 

IV.  Mr.  Denman,  "a  Yankee,  but  a  Southern  one" — Descrip 
tion  of  Stafford,  negro  General — Commands  1,400 
negroes  below  the  city — Their  depredations  in  the 
country — Character  of  Mr.  Randolph — His  true 
chivalry — The  Misses  Norcum  and  their  fine  clothes — 
Further  accounts  of  the  "Levee  scene" — Poem,  "The 
Greatest  Victory  of  the  War,  La  Bataille  des  Mou- 
choirs" — The  infamy  rests  with  Colonel  French — 
Sewing  cloth  to  be  sent  to  Confederate  soldiers — 
Wilkinson  girls  to  wear  the  cloth  as  skirts — Mrs. 
Wilkinson  and  her  imprisonment — Five  hundred 
dollars  reward  offered  for  discovery  of  author  of 
"The  Battle  of  the  Handkerchiefs"— The  Misses 
Pritchard — Mrs.  Wilkinson  on  parole — Must  report 
each  day  to  Lieutenant  Andrews — State  pride  and 
love — Kentucky  and  Maryland — Mrs.  Pinkard — 
Negroes  without  passes  arrested — The  Yankee  woman 
at  the  corner — The  Rule  of  Three — Kate  Wilkinson 
and  General  Sherman — Federals  riding  furiously  up 
and  down  the  street — Mrs.  Dameron  and  her  chil 
dren — Colonel  Broadwell — A  spy  story — Passes  for 
servants  refused  to  all  who  have  not  taken  the 
oath — These  servants  to  be  put  to  work  on  fortifi 
cations  and  plantations — Negroes  robbed  by  soldiers — 
Picture  painted  in  New  Orleans,  "The  Great  Massa 
chusetts  Hyena" — Judge  and  Mrs.  Montgomery 165 

MABCH  17 — MARCH  30,  1863. 

V.  Great  distress  and  confusion  among  the  negroes — Rela 
tives  of  Farragut  refused  his  protection  and  would 
not  see  him — Mrs,  Colonel  Pinckney — Doctor  Glenn 


CONTENTS  9 

and  Sarah — Arrest  of  three  ladies — Thrown  into  a 
room  with  drunken  soldiers — Other  outrages  de 
tailed — Mrs.  Pritchard — Mrs.  Stewart's  daughters — 
A  prose  article  on  the  Levee  scene — Colonel  Clarke 
reported  wounded— Great  regard  for  him  in  New 
Orleans — Ambulances  with  wounded  brought  to  the 
city — Letters  from  Charley  Chilton,  Mary  Lou 
Harrison  and  others — Tell  of  their  love  affairs — 
More  spy  stories— Mrs.  Judge  Clarke — Account  of 
Mrs.  General  Valle,  U.  S.  A. — She  has  a  woman 
arrested  for  looking  at  her — Mary  deserts  her  mis 
tress — Carries  off  Jake — House  of  Mr.  Burnside,  an 
old  bachelor,  described — Women  wear  round  capes 
called  "Beauregards" — Doctor  Fenner,  Mr.  Dudley, 
Mrs.  Wells — Day  of  fasting  and  prayer  appointed  by 
President  Davis — Observed  at  Roman  Catholic  Cathe 
dral — Father  Mullen — His  fearless  replies  to  Butler — 
Doctor  Stone — Mrs.  Miller— The  Waugh  family- 
Mrs.  Evans — Mrs.  Jeansenand — Account  of  Mrs. 
Brown's  house,  and  how  it  was  seized — Account  of 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Harrison's  house  and  its  occupation — 
Letter  to  General  Banks  asking  for  articles  of  value 
taken — Doctor  Palmer — His  letter  to  Mr.  Perkins — 
Mrs.  Norton's  servant,  Mary — Futile  effort  to  get 
back  Jake — Humiliating  interview  at  the  City  Hall — 
Insolence  of  Captain  Miller 227 

MABCH  31 — APRIL  8,  1863. 

VI.  Mary  Ogden  and  her  pranks — Shepley  employs  policemen 
to  listen  and  report  conversations  on  the  cars  and  in 
the  streets — Houses  to  be  searched  in  which  British 
officers  have  been  entertained — French  and  Spanish 
officers  also  in  sympathy  with  Confederates — They 
visit  the  pretty  girls — Mrs.  Tutt — She  brings  dis 
couraging  news  from  the  Confederacy — The  Mitchell 
girls — Mrs.  Saunders — Weitzel  in  the  city — Mrs. 
Gilmour  and  her  daughters — The  paroled  prisoners 
locked  up  in  the  Custom  House— Sent  off  secretly  in 
the  night — Lieutenant  Musselman — Mrs.  Shute  re 
fused  the  privilege  of  seeing  her  son — Mat  tie  and 
Sarah  Wells — Betty  Neely — Mary  Harrison  hears 
from  her  aunt,  Mrs'.  Riley — Invites  the  LeGrands  to 
go  with  them  (the  Harrisons)  to  Franklin,  Louisi 
ana — Captain  Harley — Dick  and  James  Pye — Remin 
iscences  of  the  Maryland  home — A  cup  of  tea  and  a 
long  chat  293 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

JULIA  LEGBAND Frontispiece 

KATE  MASON  ROWLAND  16 

MBS.  MOBBIS  L.  CBOXALL  24 

CLAUDE  F.  LEGBAND   35 

CAPTAIN  CHARLES  MOALE  CBOXALL  48 

COLONEL  CLAUDIUS  FBANCIS  LEGBAND   64 

MOLLIE  EMANUEL   80 

ELLIN  NOBTH  MOALE   112 

R.   LEGBAND  JOHNSTON    128 

MABY  JOHNSTON   (Mrs.  Fielder  C.  Slingluff) 144 

MBS.  R.  A.  WILKINSON  192 

Miss  EMILY  VIBGINIA  MASON    240 

MBS.  THEODOBE  SHUTE   296 


11 


THE  JOURNAL 

OF 

JULIA  LE  GRAND 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 
JULIA  LEGBAND  (Mrs.  Adolf  Waitz) 

Julia  Ellen  LeGrand  was  born  at  "Portland 
Manor, "  Anne  Arundel  County,  Maryland,  in 
1829.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Claudius  F. 
LeGrand  and  Anna  Maria  Croxall.  The  latter 
was  the  only  daughter  of  Captain  Charles  Croxall 
and  Polly  Morris,  eldest  daughter  of  Robert 
Morris,  the  financier  of  the  Revolution.  The 
LeGrands  were  of  French  origin,  coming  over  to 
America  in  1789,  just  prior  to  the  French  Revo 
lution.  Claudius,  or  Claude  Francois  LeGrand 
and  Samuel  D.  LeGrand  were  brothers.  Judge 
John  Carroll  LeGrand,  son  of  Samuel  D. 
LeGrand,  was  for  many  years  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals  of  Maryland.  Claude  LeGrand  was 
sent  to  school  in  Paris,  and  on  his  return,  accord 
ing  to  family  tradition,  was  captured  by  the  Eng 
lish  and  imprisoned  on  the  ship  Dartmouth 
When  released,  LeGrand  entered  the  army  and 

13 


14  :  :  JOURNAt  £>F  JULIA  LE  GEAND 


iuffre  war  of  1812.  "  Years  and 
years  ago,  ^'writes  '*R.  LeGrand  Johnston,  the 
artist,  "my  mother  used  to  correspond  with  Tete 
and  Claude  LeGrand  in  France,  children  of  my 
grandfather's  brother,  who  with  him  was  sent 
to  the  Polytechnique,  Paris.  He  remained  in 
France  and  married  there.  "  These  three  brothers 
are  believed  to  have  been  nephews,  or  great- 
nephews  of  General  Claude  Just  Alexander 
LeGrand,  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  French 
army  under  the  first  Napoleon. 

Captain  Charles  Croxall  was  one  of  the  ten 
children  of  Charles  Croxall  and  Rebecca  Moale. 
Charles  Croxall,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Maryland, 
October  7,  1756,  and  died  at  "Portland  Manor,  " 
November  6,  1831.  When  a  mere  youth  he  en 
tered  the  Revolutionary  Army,  as  ensign  of  the 
llth  Pennsylvania  troops;  was  commissioned 
lieutenant  in  1777,  and  made  captain  the  day  after 
the  battle  of  Brandywine  for  bravery  in  action. 
He  was  severely  wounded  in  a  later  engagement, 
taken  prisoner  and  confined  in  one  of  the  infa 
mous  prison  ships  of  the  British,  and  was  finally 
exchanged  in  1780.  Captain  Croxall  was  of  an 
old  family  of  Warwickshire,  England,  the  Croxalls 
of  "Shustoke  House,"  Warwickshire.  Richard 
Croxall,  the  first  of  the  name  in  America,  married 
Joanna  Carroll,  a  cousin  of  the  Carrolls  "of 
Carrollton."  The  Croxalls  were  Cavaliers  dur- 


BIOGBAPHICAL  SKETCH  15 

ing  the  English  civil  wars,  and  for  many  years 
they  cherished  a  silver  medal,  as  large  as  a  saucer, 
signed  "Charles  Bex,  "as  a  receipt  from  Charles  I 
for  funds  raised  by  them  to  provide  a  troop  of 
horse  for  the  Boyal  Cause.  Captain  Croxall  was 
married  to  Mary  Morris,  July  26,  1781,  and 
Robert  Morris  settled  upon  his  daughter  and  son- 
in-law  the  splendid  estate  of  "  Belvedere, "  in 
Warren  County,  New  Jersey. 

The  eldest  daughter  of  Anna  Maria  (Croxall) 
LeGrand,  Matilda,  who  married  Dr.  Arel  Pye, 
of  Maryland,  was  born  at  ' '  Belvedere, "  and  was 
old  enough  to  attend  school  before  her  parents 
removed  from  there  to  "Portland  Manor."  She 
often  spoke  of  crossing  the  ice  from  the  Jersey 
side  to  Philadelphia.  The  second  daughter,  Mary 
LeGrand,  married  Mr.  Reuben  Johnston,  a  prom 
inent  lawyer  of  Alexandria,  Virginia.  The  two 
youngest  daughters,  Julia  and  Virginia,  were 
both  women  of  brilliant  minds.  In  a  manuscript 
sketch  of  Julia  LeGrand,  by  Prof.  James  Albert 
Harrison,  who  as  a  boy  of  sixteen  knew  them 
both,  he  writes : 

"From  their  earliest  girlhood  these  two  sisters 
were  thrown  together  in  the  most  intimate  way, 
and  grew  up  with  an  affection  for  each  other  that 
was  as  tender  as  it  was  beautiful.  Both  remark 
ably  gifted,  one— Julia— distinguished  herself  by 
her  culture,  her  extensive  reading,  her  enthusi- 


16       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

asm  for  poetry,  romance  and  history,  her  love  for 
all  that  was  good,  pure  and  great.  A  singular 
grace  accompanied  all  she  said  and  did,  and  her 
striking  conversational  powers  were  the  delight 
and  pride  of  all  her  friends,  for  she  threw  into 
her  talk  a  rich  inspiration,  a  delicate  and  playful 
wit,  a  generous  ardor  in  defence  of  the  absent  and 
helpless,  and  a  large  fund  of  unobtrusive  knowl 
edge  and  experience,  that  very  few  men  possess. 
In  her  correspondence  there  was  an  ease  and 
spontaneity  rarely  found  in  the  letters  of  literary 
women,  and  it  was  early  gathered  from  these  that 
Miss  LeGrand  bade  fair  to  distinguish  herself  in 
literature  some  day." 

Besides  the  four  sisters,  Matilda,  Mary,  Julia 
and  Virginia,  there  were  two  sons,  Washington 
and  Claude  LeGrand.  In  the  early  thirties, 
Colonel  LeGrand  sold  his  estate  in  Maryland  and 
emigrated  to  Louisiana,  where  he  settled  at 
Young's  Point,  or  Millican's  Bend,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi.  While  making  preparations 
to  establish  his  family  in  their  new  home,  his  wife 
moved  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  for  the  educa 
tional  advantages  it  afforded,  and  here  Mary 
LeGrand  met  her  fate.  A  letter  from  Colonel 
LeGrand  written  in  1836  to  his  brother-in-law, 
Thomas  Croxall,  gives  an  interesting  picture  of 
conditions  in  the  Southern  country  at  that  time. 
Thomas  Croxall  was  the  grandfather  of  Morris 


KATE  MASON  ROWLAXD" 

Corresponding    Secretary    U.;  p.  ,C.,  ; 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  17 

LeGrand  Croxall,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  the 
latter 's  middle  name  bears  witness  to  the  affec 
tionate  intimacy  between  the  two  families. 

MARYLAND  BEND, 
Near  Tuscumbia,  Louisiana, 

April  9th,  1836. 
Dear  Thomas: 

I  am  at  last  fixed  in  this  State  after  examining 
a  great  part  of  the  interior  of  Mississippi  and 
this  State.  I  finally  have  located  myself  on  the 
margin  of  this  noble  river.  I  found  the  lands  of 
the  interior  much  cheaper  than  those  I  have 
bought,  but  of  a  quality  that  must  in  a  few  years 
become  sterile,  while  those  on  the  borders  of  the 
river,  which  are  entirely  made  of  its  overflowing, 
can  never  be  exhausted.  I  have  also  noticed  the 
great  expense  to  which  the  inland  planter  is  at 
to  get  his  crop  to  the  river,  to  ship  it  from  there 
to  New  Orleans,  the  common  market  for  all  our 
cotton.  Most  of  the  interior  lands  are  more 
broken  than  the  hills  you  sold  R.  Garner;  the 
river  lands  are  perfectly  level.  Those  who  live 
some  thirty  or  fifty  miles  from  the  river  have  to 
pay  from  four  to  six  dollars  for  every  bale  they 
send  to  a  shipping  port;  those  on  the  river  can 
avoid  expense.  Our  gin  houses  are  mostly  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred  yards  from  the  river  and  they 
can  roll  all  their  cotton  on  board  the  steamboats 
that  carry  it  to  New  Orleans  without  any  other 
cost  than  that  received  by  the  boat  which  is  $1 
per  bale.  Lands  on  the  river  are  now  becoming 
very  scarce;  planters  are  daily  more  sensible  of 


18       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

their  real  value,  and  many  tracts  have  been  sold 
for  $100  per  acre,  while  the  lands  in  the  interior 
seldom  sell  for  more  than  from  $12  to  $20  per 
acre.  These  dwellings  in  this  new  country  are 
very  fine ;  but  on  the  other  hand  it  is  no  uncom 
mon  thing  to  see  a  planter  who  makes  from  600 
to  1,000  bales  of  cotton,  live  in  a  house  so  open 
that  he  could  not  by  shutting  the  door  keep  a  dog 
out.  They  laugh  at  you  if  you  say  anything  about 
the  uncomfortable  way  in  which  they  live,  and 
point  with  pride  to  the  fields  which  bring  them  in 
this  yearly  fortune. 

The  tract  which  I  bought  contains  1,320  acres, 
costing  me  $52,800,  or  $40  per  acre.  It  has  forty 
acres  of  what  is  called  cleared  land;  that  is  to 
say,  the  cane  and  the  undergrowth  all  cut  out,  but 
the  large  trees  still  standing,  but  have  been 
doomed  for  some  years.  We  are  now  planting 
and  shall  continue  to  plant  until  we  plant  300 
acres  of  cotton;  we  have  planted  our  cane  some 
time  ago.  If  we  succeed  in  our  crop  and  the  price 
remains  at  what  it  now  is,  our  crop  will  be  worth 
all  I  got  for  Portland  Manor.  I  can  not  say  I 
am  sorry  I  came  here,  because  I  am  sure  I  can  do 
much  more  for  my  family  than  I  ever  could  have 
done  in  Maryland.  I  have  had  my  health  very 
well  since  I  came  here ;  but  while  at  Vicksburg 
and  during  my  absence  in  search  of  land,  I  lost 
my  poor  Nancy.  Her  loss  is  severely  felt  by  me, 
for  she  was  the  best  of  all  my  slaves.  I  have  also 
lost  some  of  the  infant  children  from  smallpox; 
my  trials  in  this  respect  have  been  very  great, 
and  enough  to  almost  make  me  wish  I  had  never 
come.  My  people  are  now  very  hearty,  and  are 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  19 

much  pleased  with  their  situation;  living  on  the 
river  banks,  they  have  many  advantages  they 
could  not  have  in  the  interior.  I  give  them  the 
privilege  of  chopping  as  much  wood  as  they 
please,  which  they  sell  from  the  landing  to  the 
steamboats  that  pass  daily,  at  three  dollars  a 
cord.  Last  year  the  owner  of  this  place  sold 
$3,000  worth  of  wood  to  the  steamboats.  I  have 
not  had  time  to  enter  into  that  part  of  the  busi 
ness  yet,  but  shall  do  so  next  year. 

Coming  down  the  river  I  visited  many  of  the 
States  that  border  on  this  great  river,  which 
nearly  all  our  Western  States  do.  On  my  return 
I  shall  go  by  the  way  of  Nashville,  St.  Louis,  Cin 
cinnati,  Wheeling  and  Pittsburgh,  and  will  be 
more  able  to  give  you  an  account  of  them  when  I 
see  you  next  summer.  I  think  I  shall  leave  here 
in  May  after  my  cotton  is  scooped  out.  I  am 
anxious  to  see  my  dear  little  family,  from  whom 
I  have  been  separated  now  for  nearly  eight 
months.  I  hear  frequently  from  them,  and  the 
only  thing  they  complain  of  is  my  long  absence 
and  the  very  cold  winter.  The  winters  here  are 
very  mild;  but  few  days  have  been  this  season 
that  you  could  not  sit  before  your  door  even 
with  your  coat  off.  The  sun  now  is  as  warm  as 
any  time  in  June,  and  makes  me  think  of  making 
my  escape  to  the  East.  My  John  does  not  live 
with  me  on  the  plantation;  he  was  desirous  of 
living  at  Vicksburg.  He  lives  there  at  the  first 
hotel.  I  get  twenty-five  dollars  per  month  for 
him  and  he  makes  nearly  as  much  for  himself. 
I  could  get  thirty  dollars  for  his  services,  but  the 
other  tavern  is  not  so  genteel.  Many  very 


20       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

splendid  fortunes  have  been  made  here  the  past 
three  years  and  many  can  be  made  by  buying 
wild  lands,  clearing  them  and  selling  them  that 
cost  but  $2.50  an  acre  for  $20  or  $30.  This  is 
done  daily.  My  former  neighbor,  John  Weems, 
went  to  New  Orleans  about  a  month  ago  to  close 
the  purchase  of  a  place  for  which  he  was  to  give 
$30,000.  This  sounds  big  to  the  ears  of  a  Mary 
land  tobacco  planter,  but  here  it  is  not  considered 
anything.  Several  places  and  negroes  have  been 
sold  since  I  came  here  for  upwards  of  $300,000. 
I  was  offered  one  some  months  past,  for  which 
they  only  asked  $500,000,  and  this  was  considered 
cheap  at  that.  Anything  under  an  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars  scarcely  takes  the  attention  of  a 
Mississippi  cotton  planter.  I  go  on  a  slower, 
though  perhaps  not  more  sure  plan  than  they  do, 
for  where  the  means  is  adequate  to  the  purchaser, 
it  is  quite  as  easy  to  pay  the  one  as  the  other. 

Vicksburg  is  a  flourishing  town,  and  though 
not  nearly  as  old  as  Natchez,  from  its  local  situa 
tion,  as  it  is  by  a  fine,  rich  country,  it  will  soon 
leave  her  in  the  background.  I  paid  a  visit  to  the 
great  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  was  really  more 
than  surprised  at  its  growing  wealth;  more  than 
I  expected  to  be.  It  is  destined  to  be  the  greatest 
city  in  the  Union,  and  when  the  lands  on  the 
Mississippi,  Ohio,  Miami,  and  the  many  hundred 
rivers  that  empty  into  the  Mississippi  and  carry 
their  produce  to  New  Orleans  are  cultivated,  its 
ports,  though  spacious,  will  not  be  half  large 
enough  to  hold  the  foreign  vessels  that  will  be 
necessary  to  carry  the  productions  of  this  great 
Western  country  from  this  Queen  of  the  South. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  21 

The  levee,  or  wharf,  at  New  Orleans,  is  now  up 
wards  of  four  miles  long,  and  the  shipping  are 
moored  all  the  way  along  it  from  six  to  eight 
deep.  Vessels  from  every  country.  I  really  had 
no  conception  of  this  town  until  I  saw  it;  the 
facility  of  doing  business  in  this  country  must 
always  induce  strangers  to  settle  here  in  prefer 
ence  to  in  our  cold-hearted  towns  of  the  North. 
It  is  much  easier  to  get  a  loan  of  from  twenty  to 
thirty  thousand  dollars  without  any  security  than 
your  word  than  it  would  be  to  get  five  thousand 
on  a  mortgage  on  the  best  property  in  Maryland 
from  the  cold-hearted  Marylanders ;  such  a  State 
as  this  and  Mississippi  can  not  help  but  make 
their  inhabitants  wealthy. 

Remember  me  kindly  to  all  the  family,  and  be 
lieve  me,  with  the  most  esteem, 
Yours,  etc., 

CLAUDIUS  F.  LEGRAND. 

If  you  should  write  to  me,  direct  to  Vicksburg, 
Miss.  The  mail  is  much  more  certain. 

A  patriarchal  scene  is  here  before  us  of  the 
old  Southern  plantation  life,  where  the  well-cared- 
for  slaves  were  as  much  a  part  of  the  family  as 
the  children,  and  were  affectionately  known  to 
their  master  as  his  "people. ' '  It  was  a  long  jour 
ney  in  those  days  from  Maryland  to  Louisiana, 
and  a  serious  undertaking,  the  transportation  of 
servants  and  household  effects  from  the  Potomac 
to  the  Mississippi.  "The  new  life,"  for  the  emi 
grant  family,  writes  Mrs.  Weeden,  Julia 


22       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

LeGrand 's  niece,  was  "full  of  vicissitudes,  of 
struggles  with  the  wilderness,  the  land  often 
overflowed  by  the  mighty  currents  of  the  river, 
held  at  bay  only  by  the  levees.  Then  there  was  the 
loss  of  household  treasures,  plate,  pictures  and 
furniture  by  the  sinking  or  burning  of  a  steam 
boat;  fluctuations  in  the  price  of  cotton,  heavy 
and  severe  expenses  in  its  cultivation;  the  un 
known  diseases  of  a  new  country,  with  many 
privations  all  casting  a  gloom  over  the  once  happy 
household,  and  greatly  reducing  its  finances." 
But  a  brighter  picture  of  the  LeGrands  in  their 
Louisiana  home  comes  to  us  through  the  recollec 
tions  of  R.  LeGrand  Johnston,  who  visited  them 
as  a  boy  in  the  fifties:  "In  the  opera  season  in 
New  Orleans,  Colonel  LeGrand,  with  his  daugh 
ters  and  a  train  of  servants,  would  go  to  the  St. 
Charles  Hotel  and  stay  until  it  was  over.  In  the 
summers,  Julia  and  Virginia,  with  their  maids, 
their  luggage  piled  high  on  wagons,  would  go  to 
the  Springs  in  Virginia."  We  have  also  the  de 
lightful  reminiscences  of  Mrs.  C.  W.  Frazer,  of 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  contributed  by  her  daugh 
ter,  the  authoress,  Virginia  Frazer  Boyle.  She 
writes:  "When  we  were  children  there  was 
nothing  which  charmed  us  more  than  my  mother's 
stories  of  Miss  Julia  LeGrand.  When  my  mother 
was  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  old,  my  grand 
father,  Col.  H.  R.  Austin,  owned  the  Mississippi 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  23 

Springs  in  Hinds  County,  where  his  family  spent 
a  great  deal  of  time,  and  about  that  time  old 
Colonel  LeGrand  exchanged  plantations  with  an 
uncle  of  my  mother,  William  P.  Stone,  which 
brought  the  LeGrands  upon  the  place  next  to  the 
Springs.  My  mother  was  at  a  most  impression 
able  age,  and  as  Miss  Julia  took  a  great  fancy  to 
her,  she  became  the  heroine  of  her  childhood, 
which  no  one  ever  displaced.  She  remembers 
Miss  Julia  as  always  in  a  soft,  trailing  white 
gown,  full  of  romantic  fancies,  and  always  accom 
panied  by  a  great  dog,  the  gift  of  a  lover,  an  ab 
sent  one,  about  whom  there  was  some  mystery. 
She  is  remembered  as  being  very  beautiful  and 
graceful,  with  a  suggestion  of  pensiveness  about 
her,  which  was  no  doubt  heightened  by  a  childish 
imagination.''  Mrs.  Frazer  says  that  "the  whole 
family  were  most  interesting  and  romantic.  Miss 
Julia  played  very  beautifully  upon  an  old  harp 
which  had  a  history,  and  Colonel  LeGrand,  the 
father,  played  on  a  tiny  Spanish  guitar  which  he 
had  picked  up  in  his  travels.  They  had  had  im 
mense  wealth,  but  were  still  considered  rich, 
though  they  had  lost  a  great  deal,  and  by  com 
parison  they  believed  themselves  quite  poor  and 
tried  to  economize,  or  thought  they  did.  Through 
mismanagement  later,  after  the  death  of  their 
parents,  they  really  lost  everything  and  Miss  , 
Virginia  and  Miss  Julia  opened  a  select  school  \ 
for  girls  in  New  Orleans. " 


24       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Julia  LeGrand  was  engaged  in  early  youth  to 
a  charming  and  brilliant  young  man,  Charles 
Theodore  Horlon,  of  Vicksburg,  Miss.  He  served 
on  the  staff  of  General  Taylor  in  the  Mexican 
War  and  received  honorable  mention  for  gallan 
try.  As  he  was  poor,  the  marriage  was  post 
poned  until  the  lover  could  realize  his  plan  of 
securing  a  competence  through  some  speculation 
in  Mexican  lands.  He  went  to  Mexico  with  a 
party  for  this  purpose,  and  letters  to  his  be 
trothed  are  preserved,  telling  of  the  successive 
stages  of  the  expedition.  Finally  he  came  to  a 
point  where  he  left  the  wagons  and  went  forward 
on  horseback  beyond  reach  of  communication  by 
mail.  He  never  returned,  nor  were  any  of  the 
party  heard  from  again.  It  was  supposed  they 
were  murdered  by  hostile  Indians.  Under  the 
name  of  "Guy  Fontenoy,"  he  was  made  the  hero 
of  an  unpublished  novel  by  Julia  LeGrand. 

Both  the  sisters,  Julia  and  Virginia,  were  great 
admirers  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  and  their  devotion 
to  the  poet  inspired  them  with  an  ardent  interest 
in  Mrs.  Virginia  Clemm,  Poe's  mother-in-law. 
They  corresponded  with  her  and  offered  her  a 
home  in  their  family.  But  Mrs.  Clemm  was  not 
willing  to  go  so  far  South.  Then  Julia  LeGrand 
induced  her  sister,  Mrs.  Reuben  Johnston,  to  in 
vite  Mrs.  Clemm  to  her  house  in  Alexandria,  Vir 
ginia.  And  in  this  way  Mrs.  Clemm  was  received 
into  the  Johnston  home,  where  she  was  affection- 


I     • 


MRS.  MORRIS  L.  CROXALL 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  25 

ately  known  as  "Muddle  Clemm"  by  the  children 
of  the  family,  and  where  she  remained  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  States. 

Upon  the  formation  of  the  Southern  Confed 
eracy,  and  the  consequent  hostilities,  Claude 
LeGrande,  who  was  living  in  Texas,  joined  the 
Confederate  Army  from  that  State,  and  made  for 
himself  a  most  honorable  record.  Two  letters  of 
his  to  his  sisters,  Julia  and  Virginia,  written 
from  the  Virginia  battlefields,  are  here  given: 


Thursday,  May  30th,  1861. 
Dearest  Sisters: 

If  this  reaches  you  be  satisfied  of  my  continued 
health  and  safety.  I  wish  I  could  get  such  an  as 
surance  of  yours.  A  man  leaves  today  who  will 
try  and  get  through.  I  am  happy  now  in  my  pro 
fession,  and  do  not  wish  to  come  back  except  to 
see  you  all.  God  grant  the  rascals  will  not  molest 
you,  if  you  are  still  in  the  city.  We  have  had  no 
mails  from  the  army  for  a  long  while,  which  is 
the  reason  I  have  not  written.  Some  few  letters 
have  come  to  the  camp  by  indirect  means.  I  trust 
you  are  still  with  Mrs.  Chilton,  in  Madison.  I 
write  in  haste  and  have  only  time  to  say  that  Gen 
eral  Jackson  has  driven  the  enemy  back  to  Har 
per's  Ferry,  and  that  our  brigade,  regiment  and 
company  have  done  their  share.  We  have  been 
highly  complimented.  Our  brigade  loss  has  been 
considerable  in  killed  and  wounded,  but  not  very 
great  considering  that  we  followed  and  fought 


26       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

every  now  and  then  for  three  days.  One  man, 
Jennings,  was  killed  from  our  company.  I  wish 
to  God  you  had  gone  to  Texas  in  time.  I  have 
written  to  Mrs.  Chilton  and  Mrs.  Smith  to  find 
out  where  you  are.  If  we  have  any  kin  in  Balti 
more,  please  let  me  know  their  names  and  condi 
tions,  and  get  me  any  polite  letters  there  or  else 
where  you  can;  no  one  knows  where  the  fortunes 
of  war  may  soon  take  us.  We  are  on  the  eve  of 
breaking  camp,  so  I  must  quit.  Do  go  to  Texas 
as  soon  as  you  can. 

Your  very  uneasy  brother, 

CLAUDE. 


July,  Tuesday  24th,  1861. 
At  the  Battle-ground  near  Bull  Run. 
Dear  Sisters: 

We  have  had  so  many  small  marches  and  large 
fights  lately  that  I  have  had  no  time  to  write,  and 
because  we  left  everything  but  blankets  and  pro 
visions  when  we  set  out  to  meet  the  enemy  last 
week — paper  among  the  rest — I  borrow  this,  and 
am  fortunate  in  doing  so.  Last  Tuesday,  the 
18th,  we,  the  7th  regiment,  hurried  up  to  the  aid 
of  the  1st  Virginia  and  some  other  regiments  who 
were  defending  Blackford's  Ford,  on  Bull's  Creek. 
We  went  in  under  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry,  but 
we  were  in  some  measure  protected  by  trees  and 
the  overshooting  of  the  enemy.  Colonel  Hays 
considered  the  fire  there  very  heavy.  On  Sunday 
the  enemy  attacked  the  whole  line  guarded  by  our 
troops,  but  at  this  point,  Stony  Bridge,  the  main 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  27 

battle  was  fought.  Our  regiment  was  entrenched 
where  the  first  battle  was  fought  that  morning  at 
the  Ford,  but  gave  up  the  situation  to  some  others, 
and  we  were  held  as  a  reserve.  We  were  kept 
marching  around,  with  an  occasional  bombshot 
falling  about  us  and  taking  off  a  few  of  our  regi 
ment,  for  I  suppose  about  five  hours;  then  we 
came  here  too  fast  by  a  long  deal  for  comfort,  and 
arrived  almost  exhausted,  but  still,  from  all  ac 
counts,  our  approach  decided  the  affair,  and  we 
were  not  in  the  fire  of  the  enemy  more  than  ten 
minutes  or  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  they  re 
tired.  I  cannot  give  particulars;  you  will  get 
them  from  the  papers,  and  I  wish  you  would  send 
brother  and  sister  an  account  of  same. 

I  have  heard  many  a  ball  sing  its  death-note 
since  I  saw  you,  but  am  as  well  as  ever  I  was,  and 
honorably  so,  too.  The  day  after  the  battle  I  was 
in  search  of  water,  and  strayed  over  the  battle 
field  ;  it  was  wet  and  foggy,  and  it  did  not  take  me 
as  long  to  get  lost  as  it  did  to  find  my  way  back 
to  camp  again.  One  of  my  messmates  went  to  the 
Colonel  and  told  him  that  I  was  long  gone,  where 
upon  the  Colonel  paid  me  the  compliment  to  be 
uneasy  and  to  say  he  would  willingly  send  the 
whole  regiment  to  my  rescue  if  the  enemy  had  me, 
adding,  that  the  first  day  he  saw  me  he  knew  that  I 
was  to  be  depended  upon.  I  had  given  the  Col 
onel  a  cup  of  coffee  that  morning;  there  was  almost 
none  in  camp,  and  perhaps  that  attention  and  my 
coming  from  West  Texas  helped  me  to  get  the 
compliment.  I  tell  the  anecdote  to  you,  knowing 
that  it  will  please  you,  as  it  did  me. 

Direct  to  the  same  place  to  be  forwarded.      I 


28       JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

have  not  drawn  the  money  yet.  Some  of  the  com 
pany  fell  back,  but  your  brother  was  not  among 
the  number. 

CLAUDE. 

My  position  here  is  much  to  my  satisfaction; 
the  snobs  are  becoming  modest.  Colonel  Hays' 
saying  he  would  turn  out  the  regiment  for  me  was 
of  course  only  a  compliment,  but  I  think  he  likes 
me.  I  would  not  be  anywhere  else  for  anything. 
Write  to  Texas  for  me ;  our  things  have  not  come 
up  yet,  so  I  can  not  write  for  myself. 

About  ten  days  after  this  last  letter  was  written 
Claude  LeGrand  was  shot  in  the  right  arm,  near 
the  shoulder,  at  the  battle  of  Port  Republic,  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley. 1 1  After  he  was  wounded,  with 
out  paying  any  attention  to  his  own  hurt, ' '  writes 
his  niece,  Mrs.  Weeden,  "he  assisted  in  putting 
others  of  the  wounded  into  wagons.  In  helping  lift 
a  heavy  man  his  superior  officer  reproached  him 
for  seeming  lack  of  energy.  LeGrand  replied  that 
he  was  doing  the  best  he  could,  as  he  could  not  use 
his  right  arm.  On  examination  the  officer  was  over 
come  with  sympathy,  and  told  him  that  he  should 
have  been  one  of  the  first  to  receive  attention  and 
assisted  LeGrand  into  the  wagon  himself.  He 
was  then  jolted  over  a  rough  road  to  Charlottes- 
ville,  with  only  straw  for  a  bed  and  but  a  bucket 
of  water  by  his  side  as  dressing  for  the  cruel 
wound.  There  he  lay  in  a  barn  for  three  days 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  29 

without  attention,  with  the  result  his  arm  had  to 
be  amputated  at  the  shoulder.  He  gave  great 
promise  as  a  sculptor,  and  it  can  easily  be  seen 
what  the  loss  of  his  right  arm  meant  to  him." 
Fortunately,  there  was  nursing  at  the  Charlottes- 
ville  hospitals  at  this  time  a  friend  of  Claude 
LeGrand 's  sister,  Mrs.  Johnston.  This  was  Miss 
Emily  Virginia  Mason.  She  at  length  discovered 
young  LeGrand  among  the  crowd  of  wounded 
men,  and  nursed  him  carefully,  sending  tidings 
of  him  to  the  distracted  brother  and  sisters,  who 
had  been  for  a  long  time  without  news  of  him. 

The  year  1861  found  Julia  and  Virginia 
LeGrand  living  in  New  Orleans,  keeping  house  to 
gether  in  a  small  cottage,  on  Prytania  Street, 
" where  I  often  took  tea  with  them,"  writes  Mrs. 
Pierce  Butler,  the  "Mary  Lou  Harrison"  of  the 
JOURNAL ;  and  Mrs.  Butler  adds : ' 'I  can  never  for 
get  Miss  Julia  and  Miss  Virginia  LeGrand,  for 
they  are  associated  with  that  time  in  one's  life 
which  one  always  remembers,  and  all  the  glamour 
of  youth  and  happiness  is  thrown  over  the  recol 
lections.  Both  these  ladies  were  intellectual  and 
cultured,  thoroughly  unworldly  and  unselfish. 
Both  were  full  of  romantic  enthusiasms  and  high 
ideals,  but  Miss  Julia  possessed  peculiar  charms. 
Her  reverses  and  sorrows  only  broadened  and 
deepened  and  sweetened  her  lovely  nature.  They 
were  very  fond  of  me,  and  I  passed  many  happy 


30       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

hours  with  them. ' '  The  quiet,  cultured  little  home 
of  the  two  sisters  was  broken  up  by  the  fall  of  New 
Orleans,  and  they  closed  their  house  and  went — 
for  mutual  safety  and  protection — to  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Norton,  Mrs.  Butler's  grandmother.  "My 
family, "  says  Mrs.  Butler,  "left  New  Orleans  im 
mediately  after  the  fall  of  the  city,  leaving  behind 
my  grandmother,  Mrs.  Norton,  and  two  aunts, 
Mrs.  Shepherd  Brown  and  Mrs.  William  N.  Dam- 
eron.  We  went  to  an  old  plantation  home  near 
Clinton,  Mississippi,  the  home  of  my  third  aunt, 
Mrs.  John  Marshall  Chilton,  who  was  the  partic 
ular  friend  of  the  Misses  LeGrand."  After  their 
troubled  and  forced  sojourn  in  the  captured  city, 
now  become  their  prison,  a  part  of  which  period 
is  covered  by  the  JOUKNAL,  the  sisters,  unable  to 
rejoin  their  Texas  relatives,  went  first  to  Jackson, 
Mississippi,  and  then  to  "Nortonia,"  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Chilton.  "My  aunts,"  writes  Mrs.  Weeden, 
"had  gotten  as  far  as  Mrs.  Chilton 's  when  Vicks- 
burg  fell,  and  they  had  some  hairbreadth  escapes 
from  straying  bands  of  depredating  Yankees  and 
negroes.  While  Mrs.  Chilton  had  gone  to  Vicks- 
burg  to  bring  her  sons  home  (they  had  been  be 
sieged  in  the  army  there  and  were  paroled  after 
the  surrender),  a  band  of  negroes  and  soldiers 
came  to  the  front  door,  threw  down  their  guns 
with  a  loud  bang  on  the  gallery  floor,  and  asked 
for  admission.  Aunties,  with  the  little  ones  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  31 

the  family  in  their  little  night  clothes,  opened  the 
door  and  held  parley  with  the  enemy.  After  some 
insolent  and  threatening  behavior,  the  marauders 
held  conference  with  each  other,  and  then  told  the 
ladies  it  had  been  their  intention  to  'pick  them  as 
clean  as  birds  and  then  burn  the  house, '  but  the 
sight  of  the  little  ones  aroused  from  sleep  made 
them  think  better  of  it."  Mrs.  Butler  narrates  of 
their  further  adventures  that  "they  accompanied 
Mrs.  Chilton  and  her  family  across  country,  camp 
ing  out,  to  where  we  [the  Harrisons]  had  taken 
refuge,  Newnan,  Georgia,  and  lived  with  my  aunt, 
Mrs.  Brown,  who  had  followed  us  out  of  New  Or 
leans.  Of  course,  we  were  all  like  one  big  family, 
and  saw  each  other  daily.  After  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  we  fell  back  to  Thomasville,  Geor 
gia,  which  is  just  eighteen  miles  from  the  Florida 
line.  The  Browns  and  LeGrands  went  with  us  and 
lived  in  our  home.  I  can  not  now  recall  the  date 
of  the  departure  from  our  midst  of  our  dear 
friends,  the  LeGrands.  I  know  they  were  always 
hoping  and  planning  eagerly  to  join  their  sister 
in  Texas,  Mrs.  Pye.  I  can  vaguely  recall  their 
brother,  Claude,  coming  for  them,  and  how  sorry 
we  were  to  have  them  go,  especially  upon  such  an 
uncertain  journey.  We  knew  they  must  suffer 
many  hardships  before  reaching  their  destination, 
and  both  were  so  delicate.  I  never  saw  them 
again,  but  had  letters  quite  often  from  Miss  Ju- 


32       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

lia.  Their  family  had  suffered  much,  so  these 
beautiful  letters  were  very  sad,  being  full  of  the 
wreckage  of  war. ' '  The  maimed  brother,  Claude, 
says  Mrs.  Weeden,  "  drove  all  the  way  from 
Texas  with  his  one  arm  a  team  of  mules  attached 
to  an  open  wagon  for  his  sisters.  They  followed 
in  the  wake  of  Joe  Johnston's  army  through 
Georgia  and  Alabama,  nursing  and  ministering 
to  the  sick  and  wounded,  until  they  reached 
Tampa.  From  there  they  were  sent  on  a  Federal 
transport  across  the  Gulf  to  Galveston,  where 
they  became  again  a  united  family  with  those 
there  they  loved  so  well.'7 

Julia  LeGrand  was  married  in  Galveston, 
Texas,  May,  1867,  to  Mr.  Adolph  Waitz,  of  Ger 
many,  "a  gentleman  of  fine  abilities  and  attain 
ments.  "  Virginia  LeGrand  died  suddenly  in 
1875,  in  escaping  from  one  of  the  great  Galves 
ton  floods.  Mrs.  Waitz  survived  her  husband 
several  years,  continuing  to  live  in  Galveston, 
where  she  died  in  the  early  part  of  January, 
1881. 

Mrs.  Waitz  never  published  anything,  but 
she  left  in  manuscript  two  novels,  besides  the 
portion  of  her  war  JOURNAL  here  given.  Of  her 
gifted  aunt's  literary  works,  her  niece,  Mrs. 
Weeden,  says:  "In  her  happy  girlhood  Mrs. 
Waitz  had  written,  purely  for  her  own  pleasure, 
a  novel  which  is  a  vivid  picture  of  the  life  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  33 

Southern  people  in  those  days.  [It  is  called 
'Our  Neighborhood/  and  is  dedicated  to  Prof. 
James  Albert  Harrison.]  After  her  marriage, 
Mrs.  Waitz  wrote  another  novel,  dealing  with  the 
dreadful  days  following  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
fragment  of  her  diary  now  offered  to  the  public, 
owes  its  preservation  to  chance.  This  diary, 
which  extended  from  the  beginning  of  the  war 
until  the  surrender  of  General  Lee,  had  been 
written  for  a  little  niece  [Mrs.  Edith  Pye  Wee- 
den],  and  Julia,  fearing  their  baggage  might  be 
searched  on  their  journeyings,  destroyed  it,  as 
she  thought.  The  portion  preserved  was  hidden 
among  the  leaves  of  an  old  novel  she  had  been 
reading  aloud  to  her  friends  during  the  long  and 
tedious  evenings  of  their  forced  marches. " 


CLAUDE  F.  LEGRAXD 

Member     7th     Louisiana     Regiment     Infantry     "Crescent 
Rifles,"     and    member   Harry   Hays   Rifles 

Brother   of   Julia    LeGrand 


I. 

DECEMBER  1,  1861 — DECEMBER  31,  1862. 

THE  JOURNAL 

December  1st,  1861, 

New  Orleans. 

Just  completed  another  bundle  of  clothes  for 
poor  Claude,  which  we  hope  will  reach  him  be 
fore  Christmas,  the  other  bundle  having  failed 
to  reach  him.  Mrs.  Brown  (Mrs.  Shepherd)  went 
with  me  to  Lyon  's  to  choose  his  coats  and  gloves. 
We  have  roasted  some  coffee  and  made  some  cake, 
which  we  have  stuffed  in  his  pillow.  I  wonder 
how  long  the  poor  boy's  head  will  lie  peacefully 
on  the  latter.  We  have  cut  up  our  flannel  double- 
gowns  to  make  him  shirts,  as  everything  is  so 
dreadfully  high  these  blockade  times.  I  have 
longed  for  money  that  I  might  send  him  many 
things  to  gladden  both,  his  heart  and  those  of  his 
comrades,  in  their  darksome  little  log  huts  at 
Manchac.  We  have  done  what  we  could,  but  have 
been  cut  off  from  further  supplies,  and  have  the 
troublesome  spirit  of  proud  people  who  will  exist 
on  a  crust  rather  than  ask  help.  I  believe  our 
friends  would  love  us  better  if  we  were 

35 


36       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

proud.  Went  in  Mrs.  Brown's  carriage  to  the 
confectioner's  to-day  for  Claude's  cake — got  out 
of  sick  bed  to  do  so — called  for  Mrs.  Brown,  who 
went  with  us  to  the  Southern  Express  office. 
There  is  a  kind  old  man  in  there  whom  I  love  to 
hear  speak  of  "Our  Soldiers."  He  refuses  all 
freight  except  what  is  sent  to  our  poor  boys ;  he 
promises  Claude  shall  have  his  things  before 
Christmas.  My  heart  turns  so  lovingly  to  our 
poor  brother — shall  I  ever  see  him  again?  Will 
he  die  in  battle,  or  will  this  wretched  cough  that 
keeps  me  awake  at  night  and  makes  me  feel  so 
worn  and  weak  in  the  morning,  kill  me  before  he 
can  return  a  victorious  soldier? 

Christmas  Day.  Had  a  kind  note  from  Mrs. 
Brown  begging  us  to  come  to  dinner.  Low- 
spirited  ;  did  not  go. 

New  Year's  [1862].  Took  dinner  with  Mrs. 
Norton.  Miss  Betty  Callender  and  Doctor  Rich 
ardson  the  only  strangers  present.  Mrs.  Chilton 
keeping  us  all  alive.  Dr.  R.  has  some  machine 
on  hand  with  which  he  intends  to  blow  up  Federal 
rebels.  It  is  highly  approved  by  all  who  have 
seen  it.  In  the  evening,  Edmund  (or  Edward) 
Harrison,  whom  they  all  call  "Duck,"  came  in. 
He  has  lately  returned  from  Europe;  he  was 
studying  at  Bonn,  but  our  Southern  troubles  have 
brought  him  home.  He  is  a  quiet,  modest  young 
man;  though  his  father  is  so* rich,  he  is  retiring 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       37 

in  dress  and  deportment  and  seems  to  have  no 
desire  beyond  a  quiet  room  and  a  book.  He  does 
not  represent  the  idea  of  "  young  America  "  in  the 
least.  He  is  in  love,  I  think,  with  his  pretty 
cousin,  S.  C.,  who  is  altogether  unsuited  to  him, 
being  fond  of  admiration  and  the  world  generally. 

Lizzie  Ogden,  speaking  of  her  brother  Billy, 
now  in  the  Confederate  States  Army  as  lieu 
tenant,  says,  that  as  an  officer,  he  has  been  let 
into  the  secret  of  Beauregard's  plans,  which  he, 
Billy,  thinks  excellent — said  brother  not  being 
twenty.  The  mingled  pride  and  simplicity  of  this 
speech  made  me  laugh — in  my  sleeve — though  I 
would  not  hurt  Lizzie 's  feelings  for  the  world. 

Everybody  sending  blankets  to  our  soldiers. 
We  have  sent  all  of  ours  except  two  thin  ones. 
Mrs.  Chilton  and  I  go  to  the  Ladies'  Sewing  So 
ciety  and  bring  home  bundles  of  work  to  do  for 
the  soldiers. 

Free  market  kept  up  by  contribution.  Planters 
all  over  the  county  send  in  to  support  it.  The 
poor,  it  seems,  are  quite  fastidious;  some  scenes 
in  the  free  market  are  quite  ludicrous.  Some  of 
the  women,  if  told  they  cannot  gratify  some  par 
ticular  taste,  refuse  all  that  is  offered;  for  in 
stance,  one  became  angry  a  few  days  ago  because 
presented  with  black  tea  instead  of  green,  and 
another  finding  no  coffee  turned  up  her  nose  at 
all  the  other  comfortable  items  which  the  market 


38       JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

contains.  Some  women,  they  say,  curse  their  bene 
factors  heartily  when  disappointed.  Coffee  they 
had  at  first,  but  blockade  times  have  changed  this 
once  familiar  berry  into  something  resembling 
gold  beads.  Cleopatra,  with  her  pearls,  was 
scarcely  more  "wastefully  given7'  than  a  coffee 
drinker  in  these  days.  Strange  to  say,  I  have  not 
relished  it  for  years  until  now.  I  have  not  parted 
with  my  tea  yet,  though  I  dole  it  out  somewhat 
less  lavishly  than  in  old  times  when  tea  caddies 
were  as  "plenty  as  blackberries, "  rather  more  so 
in  New  Orleans. 

Mrs.  Chilton,  going  up  to  Hinds  County,  begs 
us  to  go  with  her,  but  there  is  something  in  our 
own  little  home  which  we  cannot  give  up.  We  are 
so  lonely-hearted,  so  wasted  by  early  afflictions; 
anxious,  nervous  years  and  desolating  losses,  that 
we  have  nothing  of  feeling  or  interest  to  inter 
change  with  any,  even  those  we  approve. 

tGave  Mrs.  Chilton  a  little  supper  the  very  night 
before  she  left.  Mrs.  Montgomery  without  the 
Judge  (no  gentlemen  invited),  Mrs.  Norton,  Mrs. 
Parham,  Sarah  C.,  Mary  Lou  Harrison  and 
Mrs.  Dameron  were  the  guests.  Mr.  Dameron 
came,  not  knowing  gentlemen  were  interdicted. 
Charley  Chilton  came  in  after  awhile,  and  Mr. 
Parham  sent  word  that  it  was  very  unkind  to 
admit  but  one  of  the  "Confederate  Guards. " 
Amused  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  several  others 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       39 

with  a  trick  with  a  key  and  a  book  which  told  the 
fortune  accurately  of  everyone  present.  If  I  had 
found  the  philosopher's  stone,  it  could  not  have 
given  more  general  satisfaction,  I  believe.  Wanted 
to  keep  Mrs.  Chilton  for  a  good-bye  late  talk,  but 
Mrs.  Norton  hurried  her  off. 

New  Orleans,  May  9th  [1862].  It  has  been  long 
since  we  heard  from  our  dear  brother,  for  the 
letters  I  sent  to  his  last  encampment  must  have 
failed  to  reach  him,  and  of  late  have  had  no  means 
of  communicating  with  him.  I  would  have  told 
him  of  events  which  have  come  to  pass  in  this  city 
at  the  time  of  their  passing,  but  I  have  been  too 
excited  to  take  orderly  note  of  anything.  Before 
he  sees  this,  if  ever  he  does,  he  will  have  heard  of 
the  surrender  of  the  city.  A  pitiful  affair  it  has 
been.  In  the  first  place,  Lovell,  a  most  worthless 
creature,  was  sent  here  by  Davis  to  superintend 
the  defense  of  this  city.  He  did  little  or  nothing 
and  the  little  he  did  was  all  wrong.  Duncan,  the 
really  gallant  defender  of  Fort  Jackson,  could  get 
nothing  that  he  needed,  though  he  continually 
applied  to  Lovell.  Only  a  few  guns  at  the  fort 
worked  at  all,  but  these  were  gallantly  used  for 
the  defense  of  the  city.  The  fort  is  uninjured  and 
could  have  held  out  till  our  great  ram,  the 
Mississippi,  was  finished,  but  a  traitor  sent  word 
to  the  commander  of  the  Federal  fleet  to  hasten, 
which  he  did,  and  our  big  gun,  our  only  hope,  was 


40       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

burned  before  our  eyes  to  prevent  her  from  fall 
ing  into  Federal  hands.  First  and  last  then,  this 
city,  the  most  important  one  in  the  Confederacy, 
has  fallen,  and  Yankee  troops  are  drilling  and 
parading  in  our  streets.  Poor  New  Orleans! 
What  has  become  of  all  your  promised  greatness ! 
In  looking  through  an  old  trunk,  I  came  across  a 
letter  of  my  father  to  my  Uncle  Thomas,  in  which, 
as  far  back  as  1836,  he  prophesied  a  noble  future 
for  you.  What  would  he  say  now  to  see  you  dis 
mantled  and  lying  low  under  the  heel  of  the  in 
vader!  I  am  going  to  write  this  letter  of  my 
father's  herein  my  journal.  [See  Letter,  p.  17.] 
Behold,  what  has  now  come  to  the  city !  Never 
can  I  forget  the  day  that  the  alarm  bell  rang.  I 
never  felt  so  hopeless  and  forsaken.  The  wretched 
generals,  left  here  with  our  troops,  ran  away  and 
left  them.  Lovell  knew  not  what  to  do ;  some  say 
he  was  intoxicated,  some  say  frightened.  Of 
course  the  greatest  confusion  prevailed,  and  every 
hour,  indeed  almost  every  moment,  brought  its 
dreadful  rumor.  After  it  was  known  that  the 
gunboats  had  actually  passed,  the  whole  city,  both 
camp  and  street,  was  a  scene  of  wild  confusion. 
The  women  only  did  not  seem  afraid.  They  were 
all  in  favor  of  resistance,  no  matter  how  hopeless 
that  resistance  might  be.  The  second  day  matters 
wore  a  more  favorable  aspect,  and  the  Mayor  and 
the  City  Council  assumed  a  dignified  position  to- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       41 

ward  the  enemy.  Flag  Officer  Farragut  demanded 
the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  town.  He  was 
told  that  as  brute  force,  and  brute  force  only, 
gave  him  the  power  that  he  might  come  and  take 
it.  He  then  demanded  that  we,  with  our  own 
hands,  pull  down  the  flag  of  Louisiana.  This  I 
am  happy  to  say,  was  refused.  Four  days  we 
waited,  expecting  to  be  shelled,  but  he  concluded 
to  waive  the  point ;  so  he  marched  in  his  marines 
with  two  cannons  and  our  flag  was  taken  down 
and  the  old  stars  and  stripes  lifted  in  a  dead 
silence.  We  made  a  great  mistake  here ;  we  should 
have  shot  the  man  that  brought  down  the  flag,  and 
as  long  as  there  was  a  house-top  in  the  city  left, 
it  should  have  been  hoisted.  The  French  and 
English  lay  in  the  Gulf  and  a  French  frigate 
came  up  the  river  to  protect  French  subjects. 

Farragut  allowed  the  women  and  children  but 
forty-eight  hours  to  leave  the  city,  but  the  foreign 
consuls  demanded  a  much  longer  time  to  move  the 
people  of  their  respective  nations.  If  we  had  been 
staunch  and  dared  them  to  shell,  the  Confederacy 
would  have  been  saved.  The  brutal  threat  would 
never  have  been  carried  out,  for  England  and 
France  would  never  have  allowed  it.  The  delay 
would  have  enabled  us  to  finish  our  boat,  and  be 
sides  a  resistance  would  have  showed  the  enemy 
and  foreign  nations,  too,  what  stuff  we  were  made 
of  and  how  very  much  we  were  in  earnest.  I 


42       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

never  wished  anything  so  much  in  my  life  as  for 
resistance  here.  I  felt  no  fear — only  excitement. 
The  ladies  of  the  town  signed  a  paper,  praying 
that  it  should  never  be  given  up.  We  went  down 
to  put  our  names  on  the  list,  and  met  the  marines 
marching  up  to  the  City  Hall  with  their  cannon 
in  front  of  them.  The  blood  boiled  in  my  veins — 
I  felt  no  fear — only  anger.  I  forgot  myself  and 
called  out  several  times:  "Gentlemen,  don't  let 
the  State  Flag  come  down,"  and,  "Oh,  how  can 
you  men  stand  it  I"  Mrs.  Norton  was  afraid  of 
me,  I  believe,  for  she  hurried  me  off.  I  have  for 
gotten  to  mention — at  first,  the  Germans  at  the 
fort  mutinied  and  turned  their  guns  on  their 
officers.  In  the  first  place,  several  gunboats  had 
passed  the  fort  at  night  because  a  traitor  had 
failed  to  give  the  signal.  He  was  tried  and  shot, 
and  Duncan  telegraphed  to  the  city  that  no  more 
should  pass — then  came  a  report  that  the  Yankee 
vessels  were  out  of  powder  and  coal  and  they 
could  not  get  back  to  their  transports  which  they 
had  expected  to  follow  them.  We  were  quite  jubi 
lant  at  the  idea  of  keeping  them  in  a  sort  of  im 
prisonment,  and  this  we  could  have  done  but  for 
the  German  mutineers.  The  wives  of  these  men 
were  allowed  to  visit  the  fort,  and  they  repre 
sented  the  uselessness  of  the  struggle,  because 
the  city  had  already  surrendered.  They  were 
told,  too,  that  Duncan  intended  to  blow  up  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       43 

fort  over  their  heads  rather  than  surrender.  So 
they  spiked  their  cannon  and  threatened  the  lives 
of  their  officers  and  then  the  Yankee  fleet  poured 
up.  These  people  have  complimented  us  highly. 
To  quell  a  small  "  rebellion, "  they  have  made 
preparations  enough  to  conquer  a  world.  This  is 
a  most  cowardly  struggle — these  people  can  do 
nothing  without  gunboats.  Beauregard  in  Ten 
nessee  can  get  no  battle  from  them  where  they  are 
protected  by  these  huge  block  steamers.  These 
passive  instruments  do  their  fighting  for  them. 
It  is  at  best  a  dastardly  way  to  fight.  We  should 
have  had  gunboats  if  the  Government  had  been 
efficient,  wise  or  earnest.  We  have  lost  our  city, 
the  key  to  this  great  valley,  and  my  opinion  is  that 
we  will  never,  never  get  it  more,  except  by  treaty. 
Many  think  otherwise.  The  most  tantalizing  ru 
mors  reach  us  daily  (though  the  papers  are  not 
allowed  to  print  our  news,  we  hear  it).  We  have 
heard  that  Stonewall  Jackson  has  surprised  and 
taken  Washington  City;  that  Beauregard  has  had 
a  splendid  victory  in  Tennessee;  and  our  other 
generals  have  annihilated  the  enemy  in  Virginia. 
Sometimes  we  are  elated,  but  most  generally  de 
pressed.  My  dear,  dear  brother !  We  are  filled  with 
anxiety  for  him !  Even  if  he  is  spared  through  this 
fight,  when  and  where  can  we  see  him  again!  I 
feel  wretched  to  think  of  his  hardships  and  loneli 
ness,  hearing  nothing  from  home.  I  hope  he  is 


44       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

not  uneasy  about  us — for  we  are  to  leave  the  city 
with  kind  friends — and  sister  Matilda  is  in  a  safe 
place.  Mail  communication  is  cut  off.  I  hope  he 
is  not  anxious  because  he  does  not  hear. 

This  is  a  cruel  war.  These  people  are  treated 
with  the  greatest  haughtiness  by  the  upper  classes 
and  rudeness  by  the  lower.  They  know  how  they 
are  hated  and  hang  their  heads.  Shopkeepers  re 
fuse  to  sell  to  them,  and  the  traitor  who  hurried 
them  up  the  river  has  to  have  a  guard.  Public 
buildings  have  been  seized  by  the  troops,  but  so 
far  the  civil  government  has  not  been  interfered 
with.  I  think  their  plan  is  to  conciliate  if  possible. 
The  cotton  and  sugar  have  been  burned;  that  is 
one  comfort,  and  the  work  of  destruction  still  goes^ 
on  on  the  plantations.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
long,  dreadful  night  when  we  sat  with  our  friends 
and  watched  the  flames  from  all  sorts  of  valuables 
as  the  gunboats  were  coming  up  the  river. 

My  dear  brother !  If  I  could  only,  only  hear  from 
him !  If  I  could  only  see  him  for  but  a  little  while ! 
And  if  I  could  be  near  enough  to  get  to  him  if  he 
were  wounded — I  would  be  content.  Thoughts  of 
the  long  ago  fill  my  heart  as  I  write,  and  I  feel 
that  he  may  not  even  be  alive  while  I  do  so.  I 
long  so  for  his  safety  and  do  not  care  for  distinc- 

Jtion.  Oh,  if  we  were  only  all  safe  and  together 
in  some  quiet  land  where  there  would  be  no  war, 
no  government  even  to  make  war !  I  long  to  be  rid 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND       45 

of  the  evil  and  suffering  which  spring  from  the 
passions  of  men !  Clap-trap  sentiments  and  polit 
ical  humbugs!  I  almost  hate  the  word  "Flag" 
even! 

Mrs.  Norton  and  all  our  friends  are  so  kind  to 
us  and  we  are  safe  in  their  hands.  Billy  Ogden  is 
with  Claude,  and  his  brother  Abner,  who  served 
at  Fort  Jackson,  is  on  parole.  He  is  much  grieved 
at  the  surrender  of  the  Fort.  No  one  can  leave 
the  city  without  a  pass.  How  I  am  ever  to  get  this 
I  don't  know.  Mrs.  Brown  told  me  to  write  to 
night  and  she  would  try  to  get  a  letter  through 
for  me  to  Claude.  I  am  told  that  a  stand  will  be 
made  at  Vicksburg.  They  are  working  hard  at 
batteries  there.  They  will  at  least  delay  the  gun 
boats  until  we  can  do  something  that  we  wish. 
About  their  having  the  whole  river,  that  is  of 
course  only  a  question  of  time.  Fort  Pillow  will 
fall,  if  it  has  not  already  done  so.  Our  only  hope 
now  is  from  our  soldiers  in  the  field,  and  this 
brings  me  to  my  dear  brother  again  and  all  he  will 
have  to  endure.  Sometimes  I  feel  that  nothing 
is  worth  such  sacrifice.  These  States  may  divide 
arfd  fight  one  another,  too,  sometime.  This  war 
has  shaken  my  faith.  Nothing  is  secure  if  the 
passions  and  follies  of  men  can  intermeddle. 
Often,  though,  I  feel  that  these  insolent  invaders 
with  their  bragging,  should  be  conquered — come 
what  will.  Better  to  die  than  to  be  under  their 


46       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

rule.  The  Yankees  have  established  strict  quar 
antine.  The  people  of  the  town  are  frightening 
them  terribly  with  tales  about  the  yellow  fever. 
We  are  compelled  to  laugh  at  the  frequent  amus 
ing  accounts  we  hear  of  the  way  in  which  they  are 
treated  by  boys,  Irish  women,  and  the  lower 
classes  generally.  Mr.  Soule"  refused  General 
Butler's  hand  (they  were  old  friends),  remarking 
that  their  intercourse  must  now  be  purely  official. 
Our  Mayor  has  behaved  with  great  dignity. 
Butler  says  he  will  be  revenged  for  the  treatment 
he  and  his  troops  have  received  here — so  he  will,  I 
expect,  if  matters  go  against  us  in  other  places. 
There  is  some  fear  that  the  city  will  need  provi 
sions  very  much.  The  country  people  won 't  send 
in  anything ;  they  are  so  angry  about  the  surren 
der.  The  Texas  drovers  who  were  almost  here 
as  soon  as  they  heard  of  it,  sold  their  cattle  for 
little  or  nothing  just  where  they  were  and  went 
home  again.  I  wish  we  were  all  safe  back  there 
again.  I  don 't  think  Texas  will  ever  be  conquered. 
God  bless  my  dear  brother;  God  protect  him 
and  let  us  meet  once  more.  I  do  not  feel  anxious 
about  sister  Tilly,  only  him.  I  hope  he  will  send 
us  a  line  whenever  he  can.  I  hope  he  will  inquire 
about  returning  soldiers  and  not  let  one  come  in 
without  trying  to  send  us  a  line  to  say  he  is  well. 
Letters  directed  to  Mrs.  Chilton  or  Charley  in 
Hinds  County  reach  us.  But  I  must  be  careful 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       47 

how  I  write ;  it  may  reach  other  eyes.  Oh,  to  say 
good-night  to  my  poor  brother.  Ginnie  is  not  well. 
Our  love  to  our  brother  from  JULE. 

October  22nd  [1862].  Sent  this  note,  or  got 
Mrs.  Richardson,  who  has  great  influence  with  the 
Federals,  to  do  it  for  me : 

GENERAL  SHEPLEY  : 

SIR  :  Some  months  ago  I  enclosed  to  Mrs.  S.  N. 
Chilton,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Shepherd  Brown,  eighty 
dollars.  The  envelope  containing  the  money  was 
given  by  Mrs.  Brown  to  a  Mr.  Burkett,  who  was 
afterwards  arrested  for  matters  wholly  uncon 
nected  with  it.  I  applied  to  General  Weitzel,  who 
promised  to  procure  the  money  and  leave  it  with 
my  friend,  Doctor  Cartwright.  Since  that  time  I 
have  heard  nothing  of  it. 

Eighty  dollars  is  a  sum  which  is  a  mere  nothing 
to  a  Government  authority,  but  'tis  really  some 
thing  to  a  gentlewoman,  away  from  her  connec 
tions,  who  has  been  surprised  by  a  blockade.  I 
hope  General  Shepley  will  suffer  me  to  remind 
him  that  no  matter  of  justice  is  too  small  to  be 
regarded  by  one  who  wishes  to  represent  a  kindly 
Government. 

Respectfully, 

J.  E.  LE&RAND. 

Afterward  called  to  see  General  Shepley;  got 
promises  and  nothing  more,  as  might  have  been 
expected.  Federals,  in  the  city  at  least,  don 't  dis 
gorge.  General  Shepley  is  a  deceitful-looking, 


48       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

querulous  man,  but  has  the  ambition  to  be  thought 
a  gentleman,  and  therefore  does  not  show  off  with 
Butler's  brutal  and  theatrical  manner. 

Packing  up  to  go  to  Mississippi  City  with  Mrs. 
Norton  and  Mrs.  Dameron. 

Later:  Disappointed,  no  passports,  those  given 
by  General,  or  Governor  Shepley  as  they  call  him, 
proving  worthless,  Butler  having  refused  to  place 
his  glorious  autograph  to  one  for  less  than  a  clear 
thousand  or  two — sub-rosa. 

A  letter  to  Mrs.  Chilton : 

NEW  ORLEANS,  Nov.  17th,  1862. 
DEAR  MKS.  CHILTON  : 

I  have  sent  you  two  or  three  letters  and  though 
I  have  once  had  a  line  from  you,  you  did  not  ac 
knowledge  the  receipt  of  anything  from  me.  I 
would  have  written  oftener,  but  I  always  feel  that 
it  is  almost  unkind  to  burden  anyone  with  a  line 
now-a-days,  and  besides  I  am  so  unfortunate  both 
in  small  and  great  things  that  I  feel  as  if  I  risked 
the  letters  of  other  people  by  enclosing  mine  with 
them.  I  would  give  much  to  see  you  all  and  more 
to  meet  you  without  anxiety  and  dread  upon  your 
mind.  I  feel  heavy-hearted  always  and  would  be 
glad  to  creep  into  a  cave  even,  to  forget  and  be  at 
rest.  I  have  looked  anxiously  to  hear  more  of 
Claude,  poor  worn-out  wreck.  How  I  long  to  see 
Ihim!  I  pity  him  all  the  time.  How  can  he  per 
form  the  commonest  services  for  himself  now.  I 


CAPTAIX  CHARLES  MALE  " 

Of   the   Revolutionary   Army 

First    an    ensign    in    Washington's    Flying    Camps,    present    at    the    battle 

of  Long  Island  :     one  of   "Maryland's  Four  Hundred"  ;     later 

one   of   the   "Prison    Ship    Martyrs" 

Grandfather   of   Julia    LeGrand 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       49 

long  to  go  to  sister  in  Texas,  and  if  Claude  is  sure 
of  returning  to  Hinds,  will  press  through  to  meet 
him.  I  have  some  money  owing  me  here  which  I 
cannot  get  until  next  month.  I  should  like  to  take 
it  with  me  for  I  have  a  great  horror  of  being  left 
somewhere  in  a  strange  place  without  this  arm 
of  protection.  If  that  long  journey  were  only 
over.  I  long  so  to  see  my  sister.  I  feel  great 
anxiety  for  her  just  now.  I  wonder  why  G— 
was  not  burned  instead  of  being  abandoned.  You 
used  to  doubt  my  feelings,  but  it  was  because  you 
did  not  understand  them.  I  have  met  no  one 
whose  ideas  of  defense  were  more  stringent  than 
my  own.  I  would  give  up  all,  sacrifice  all  to 
honor.  What  is  a  city  compared  to  a  city's  good 
name.  I  was  in  a  rage  and  frenzy  last  spring;  I 
was  so  much  before  the  hitherto  most  violent  peo 
ple  that  I  hardly  knew  where  I  was.  The  love  of 
housetops  prevailed  to  a  degree  that  I  had  never 
formed  the  most  distant  idea.  The  housetops 
were  preserved  intact  and  we  are  all  reaping  the 
benefit  of  what  they  shelter.  Yet  I  feel  just  as  I 
used  to  do,  that  this  honor  and  truth  do  not 
belong  to  any  land  exclusively.  I  have  had  ample 
proof  of  this.  Men  of  Northern  birth  here  have 
gone  to  prison  as  bravely  and  nobly  as  any,  while 
our  own  people  have  been  in  many  instances  recre 
ant.  It  is  a  safe  philosophy  which  teaches  us  a 
love  for  the  good  and  hatred  of  the  bad  of  all 
lands,  and  a  resistance  to  the  death  of  all  invaders. 
I  ache  to  think  of  all  the  horrors  that  have  fallen 
and  that  are  yet  to  fall.  There  is  no  hope  left  in 
me.  I  do  not  talk  much,  but  the  suppressed  life 
of  pain  which  I  lead  is  enough  to  kill  a  stronger 


50       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

person.  We  lead  a  lonely,  anxious  life  and  are 
sick  most  always.  Come  what  will,  you  must  think 
of  us  always  as  friends  of  the  old  time.  I  think 
of  the  old,  old  time  before  all  of  the  illusions 
faded  until  my  heart  feels  like  breaking.  Be  kind 
to  my  poor  dilapidated  soldier,  should  he  return 
to  you.  Give  love  to  each  and  all  of  the  children. 
Tell  Charley  that  I  am  gratified  to  see  that  he  re 
members  us.  Tell  him  I  have  heard  alarming 
reports  of  him — is  he  about  to  surrender  his  free 
dom?  I  would  be  in  at  the  death  if  I  knew  when 
the  solemn  sacrifice  is  to  be  made.  There  was  a 
great  frolic  on  board  the  English  ship,  the 
Rinaldo,  a  few  nights  ago.  The  contraband  flag 
waved  freely  over  seas  of  red  wine  and  promon 
tories  of  sugar-work.  Mr.  F ,  of  the  little 

Sanctuary,  made  I  thought  a  dreadful  concession 
last  spring  and  I  never  went  to  hear  him  after 
ward.  He  was  married,  unhappily,  I  think,  about 
two  months  ago.  Latterly  he  has  acted  quite  a 
bold  part  and  is  now  in  a  prison  at  the  North. 
He  called  from  the  ship  as  he  went  off:  "When  I 
come  back  the  Confederate  flag  will  wave  over 
New  Orleans.  Hurrah  for  Jeff  Davis ! ' ' 

J.  E.  LE  GRAND. 

Copied  into  the  Journal : 

BUTLER  AND  His  BROTHER. 

Two  brothers  came  to  New  Orleans, 

Both  were  the  name  of  "Butler," 
The  one  was  Major-General, 

The  other  only  Sutler. 
The  first  made  proclamations, 

That  were  fearful  to  behold; 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       51 

While  the  sutler  dealt  out  rations, 

And  took  his  pay  in  gold 
From  women  that  were  starving, 

When  the  Yankee  Doodles  came ; 
This  was  his  way  of  carving  out 

The  road  that  leads  to  fame. 
The  sutler  had  some  excuse, 

The  truth  I'll  not  smother; 
While  making  money  like  the  deuce, 

He  gave  one  half  to  Brother. 

CHORUS  : 
Hurrah,  Hurrah,  Hurrah, 

The  ass  and  mule  will  bray, 
The  Rebels  think  that  ev'ry  dog 

Is  bound  to  have  his  day. 

["Stonewall  Jackson's  Way,"  written  by 
Dr.  John  Williamson  Palmer,  was  here  copied  by 
Julia  Le  Grand  into  her  diary.  Although  she  does 
not  say  so,  Doctor  Palmer  was  her  relative.  His 
mother  was  Catherine  Croxall,  daughter  of  James 
Croxall,  of  Baltimore.  A.  B.  C.] 

A  letter  to  Mrs.  Shepherd  Brown: 

NEW  ORLEANS,  Nov.  17th,  1862. 

DEAR  MRS.  B : 

I  have  nothing  to  say,  and  might  not  say  it 
if  I  did  have  it,  for  you  know  there  is  a  heavi 
ness  prevailing  in  this  latitude,  which  is  not 
favorable  to  expansion  of  idea.  I  only  send  a 
line  to  remind  you  that  I  live  and  wish  you  to 


52       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

remember  me.  A  dull  and  heavy  anxiety  has  set 
tled  upon  us.  We  hear  nothing  upon  which  we 
can  rely,  and  know  nothing  to  which  we  can  cling 
with  comfort.  Those  who  come  in  say  there  is 
much  joy  beyond  the  lines,  but  no  one  can  give 
the  why  and  wherefore.  In  the  meantime  we  are 
leading  the  lives  which  women  have  lead  since 
Troy  fell ;  wearing  away  time  with  memories,  re 
grets  and  fears;  alternating  fits  of  suppression, 
with  flights,  imaginary,  to  the  red  fields  where 
great  principles  are  contended  for,  lost  and  won ; 
while  men,  more  privileged,  are  abroad  and  astir, 
making  name  and  fortune  and  helping  to  make  a 
nation.  There  was  a -frolic  on  board  the  English 
ship  a  few  nights  since  for  the  benefit,  the  Delta 
says,  of  Secession  women.  I  did  not  go,  though 
Miss  Betty  Callender  offered  her  services  in  the 
way  of  invitation.  I  am  told  that  the  contraband 
"bonny-blue  flag"  waved  freely  over  seas  of  red 
wine  and  promontories  of  sugar-work.  The  ship 
represents  secessiondom  just  now;  it  has  not  a 
stronghold  in  the  city.  Many  a  lady  opened  her 
vial  of  wrath,  I  suppose,  for  all  were  told  that 
freedom  of  speech  should  be  the  order  of  the 
night.  There  was  acting  and  dancing,  and  fish, 
flesh  and  fowl  suffered  in  the  name  of  our  cause. 
Toasts  were  drunk  to  our  great  spirits  to  whom  it 
seems  the  destiny  of  a  nation  is  entrusted.  How 
my  heart  warms  to  the  weary,  battle-stained 
heroes.  I  never  fancied  carpet  knights  even 
before  the  stern  trial  came. 

I  can't  tell  you  what  a  life  of  suppression  we 
lead.  I  feel  it  more  because  I  know  and  feel  all 
that  is  going  on  outside.  I  am  like  a  pent-up 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       53 

volcano.  I  wish  I  had  a  field  for  my  energies.  I 
hate  common  life,  a  life  of  visiting,  dressing  and 
tattling,  which  seems  to  devolve  on  women,  and 
now  that  there  is  better  work  to  do,  real  tragedy, 
real  romance  and  history  weaving  every  day,  I 
suffer,  suffer,  leading  the  life  I  do. 

The  Episcopal  clergy  are  true.  Three  have 
been  sent  to  prison,  the  rest  are  under  marching 
orders.  When  the  ship  was  leaving,  Mr.  Fulton's 
last  cry  was,  "When  I  return  the  Confederate 
flag  will  wave  over  New  Orleans.  Hurrah  for 
Jeff  Davis ! ' '  You  will  feel  an  interest  I  hope  in 
my  poor,  dilapidated  brother  if  you  see  him.  He 
looks  rough  because  he  neglects  his  appearance, 
but  there  is  no  truer  gentleman  than  he,  no  truer, 
braver  or  less  selfish.  I  long  so  to  see  him  and 
render  the  service  he  must  need  with  only  one 
arm.  Things  go  on  just  as  they  did.  Daily  life 
presents  the  same  food  for  sorrowful  reflection. 
Tiger,  Jake  and  Emma  hold  their  own  within 
doors,  and  nothing  has  happened  to  prevent  us 
from  parading  the  streets  without.  A  shrill  horn 
breaks  often  upon  my  sad  speculations.  I  rush 
out  perhaps  and  sometimes  find  a  train  of  striped 
and  bestarred  cavalry  and  sometimes  only  an 
orange  cart.  "What  an  age  we  live  in,"  says 
philosophy,  and  goes  in  again  to  repine  and  won 
der.  The  Advocate  was  suppressed  an  hour  or 
two  ago,  but  the  pliant  Jacob  made  haste  to 
smooth  his  phrases.  A  quarrel  is  reported  be 
tween  the  French  admiral  and  the  General.  There 
has  been  a  great  commotion  about  the  money  sent 
from  the  New  Orleans  bank.  Lemore  has  gone  to 
prison  and  some  others.  Where  are  our  people? 


54       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Can't  you  contrive  to  let  me  into  the  secret,  if 
you  have  any?    You  can't  read  if  I  keep  on,  so 
good-bye,  with  best  wishes  to  all. 
Ever  your  friend, 

J.  E. 


December  20th  [1862]. 

THE  LADIES'  FAREWELL  TO  BRUTAL  FEROCITY  BUTLER. 

We  fill  this  cup  to  one  made  up 

Of  beastliness  alone, 
The  caitiff  of  his  dastard  crew, 

The  seeming  paragon, 
Who  had  a  coward  heart  bestowed, 

And  brutal  instincts  given 
In  fiendish  mirth,  then  spawned  on  earth 

To  shame  the  God  of  Heaven; 
His  every  tone  is  murder's  own 

Like  those  unhallowed  birds 
Who  feed  on  corpses,  and  the  lie 

Dwells  ever  in  his  words. 
His  very  face  a  living  curse 

To  mankind's  lofty  state, 
Marked  with  the  stain  of  branded  Cain, 

None  knew  him  but  to  hate. 
Fair  woman's  fame  he  makes  his  game, 

On  children  wreaks  his  spite, 
A  tyrant  mid  his  bayonets, 

He  never  dared  to  fight. 
Think  you  a  mother's  holy  smile 

Ere  beamed  for  him?    Ah,  no. 
The  jackal  nursed  the  whelp  accursed, 

Humanity's  worst  foe. 
On  every  hand,  in  every  land 

The  scoundrel  is  despised, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       55 

In  Butler's  name  the  foulest  wrongs 

And  crimes  are  all  comprised. 
'Twill  live  the  sign  of  infamy 

Unto  time's  utmost  verge, 
Ages  unborn  will  tell  in  scorn, 

Of  him,  as  mankind's  scourge. 
We  fill  this  cup  to  one  made  up 

Of  beastliness  alone; 
The  vampire  of  his  Yankee  crew, 

The  lauded  paragon. 
Farewell  and  if  in  h — 1  there  dwell 

A  demon  such  as  thou 
Then  Satan  yield  thy  scepter  up — 

Thy  mission's  over  now. 

I  copied  this  parody  of  Pickney's  beautiful 
poem  almost  in  sorrow,  to  see  anything  so  filled 
with  sweet  and  tender  fancies  so  desecrated,  but 
these  things  are  waifs  borne  on  the  wind,  indicat 
ing  whence  they  blow,  and,  as  such,  are  valuable. 
The  town  of  late  has  been  flooded  with  things  of 
this  kind.  Bank's  arrival  and  Butler's  disgrace 
has  created  a  vent  for  a  long  pent-up  disgust.  It 
would  have  been  nobler,  perhaps,  to  have  had 
these  papers  circulated  while  Butler  was  here  in 
power,  but  men  cannot  indulge  in  such  pastimes 
when  cruel  balls  and  chains  and  dark  prison  forts 
are  waiting  for  them.  Butler  then,  after  his  long, 
disgusting  stay  here  has  been  compelled  to  yield 
his  place,  his  sword,  and  much  of  his  stolen 
property. 

General  Banks  has,  so  far,  by  equitable  rule 


56       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

commanded  the  respect  of  his  enemies.  We  know 
him  as  an  enemy,  it  is  true,  but  an  honest  and 
respectable  one.  Every  rich  man  is  not  his 
especial  foe,  to  be  robbed  for  his  benefit.  Butler 
left  on  the  steamer  Spaulding,  was  accompanied 
to  the  wharf  by  a  large  crowd,  to  which  he  took 
off  his  hat.  There  was  not  one  hurrah,  not  one 
sympathizing  cry  went  up  for  him  from  the  vast 
crowd  which  went  to  see  him  off — a  silent  rebuke. 
I  wonder  if  he  felt  it ! 

Ginnie  saw  Julia  Ann  in  the  street  to-day;  did 
not  speak  but  watched  her  closely.  She  left  us 
during  the  summer,  having  previously  stolen 
money  from  our  box.  We  had  so  spoiled  her  that 
she  would  not  take  the  trouble  to  answer  unless 
she  pleased.  She  pouted  always,  and  passed  all 
of  her  time  in  the  street.  She  was  persuaded  off 
by  a  policeman 's  wife.  She  had  been  with  us  ever 
since  an  infant — about  our  person — and  was  con 
sequently  associated  with  much  that  is  past  and 
dear.  Though  she  behaved  ill  often,  we  would  not 
allow  her  to  be  punished,  and  the  day  she  ran 
away  was  as  unhappy  a  one  as  I  ever  passed, 
though  I  tried  to  conceal  my  feelings  from  the 
other  servants.  Some  days  after  her  flight  a  police 
man  took  her  up  in  the  street  and  was  about  to 
convey  her  to  jail.  She  preferred  being  brought 
to  us,  she  said,  and  we  gave  the  man  ten  dollars  to 
leave  her  here,  as  she  cried  and  appeared  to  be  re- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       57 

pentant.  She  stayed  at  Mrs.  Waugh's,  where  we 
were  obliged  to  place  her  near  us,  just  three  days. 
We  had  not  even  cast  a  reproach  upon  her  for  her 
behavior,  but  encouraged  her  in  every  way.  Mrs. 
Norton  wanted  us  to  let  her  go  to  jail  and  when 
she  ran  away  again  I  believe  felt  much  triumph 
over  us  for  our  continued  confidence  in  her.  We 
had  made  every  effort  to  bring  Julie  up  an  honor 
able  and  even  high-toned  woman,  but  she  pre 
ferred  lying  to  confidence,  stealing  to  asking,  and 
a  life  of  vagrancy  to  a  respectable  and  comfort 
able  one.  I  have  learned  this  lesson  both  from 
experience  and  observation  that  negroes  only  re 
spect  those  they  fear. 

Heard  to-day  of  the  existence  of  a  negro  society 
here  called  the  "vaudo"  (I  believe).  All  who 
join  it  promise  secrecy  on  pain  of  death.  Naked 
men  and  women  dance  around  a  huge  snake  and 
the  room  is  suddenly  filled  with  lizards  and  other 
reptiles.  The  snake  represents  the  devil  which 
these  creatures  worship  and  fear.  The  existence 
of  such  a  thing  in  New  Orleans  is  hard  to  believe. 
I  had  read  of  such  a  thing  in  a  book  which  Doctor 
Cartwright  gave  us,  but  he  is  so  imaginary  and 
such  a  determined  theorist  that  I  treated  it  almost 
as  a  jest.  The  thing  is  a  living  fact.  The  police 
have  broken  up  such  dens,  but  their  belief  and 
forms  of  worship  are  a  secret.  These  people 
would  be  savages  again  if  free.  I  find  that  no 


58       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

negroes  discredit  the  power  of  the  snake;  those 
who  do  not  join  the  society  abstain  from  fear  and 
not  from  want  of  faith. 

December  31st  [1862].  I  write,  this  beautiful 
last  day  of  December,  with  a  heart  filled  with 
anxiety  and  sorrow;  with  my  own  sad  history 
that  of  others  mingles.  Our  side  has  gained  again. 
The  Confederate  banner  floats  in  pride  and  secur 
ity,  but  who  can  help  mourning  over  the  details  of 
that  ghastly  battle  of  the  Rappahannock.  Oh, 
Burnside !  moral  coward  to  lead  men,  the  sons  of 
women,  into  such  a  slaughter-pen  to  gratify  a 
senseless  president  and  a  tyrannical  giver  of 
orders ! 

Our  town  is  filled  with  rumors.  There  has  been 
a  bloody  fight  at  Port  Hudson,  it  is  said,  and  the 
brazen  cannon  which  we  have  so  often  seen 
dragged  through  these  streets  have  all  been  taken 
by  our  Confederate  troops.  Banks  has  ordered 
the  return  of  the  Federal  troops  sent  up  the  river 
so  proudly  and  confidently  a  short  while  ago,  but 
it  is  reported  that  they  are  so  surrounded  by  the 
Confederates  that  they  cannot  extricate  them 
selves.  It  is  rumored  that  we  are  to  have  a  negro 
insurrection  in  the  New  Year  (New  Year's  Day). 
The  Federal  Provost-Marshal  has  given  orders 
that  the  disarmed  Confederates  may  now  arm 
again  and  shoot  down  the  turbulent  negroes  (like 
dogs).  This  after  inciting  them  by  every  means 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       59 

to  rise  and  slay  their  masters.  I  feel  no  fear, 
but  many  are  in  great  alarm.  I  have  had  no 
fear  of  physical  ill  through  all  this  dreary  sum 
mer  of  imprisonment,  but  it  may  come  at  last. 
Fires  are  frequent — it  is  feared  that  incendiaries 
are  at  work.  Last  night  was  both  cold  and  windy. 
The  bells  rang  out  and  the  streets  resounded  with 
cries.  I  awoke  from  sleep  and  said,  "Perhaps  the 
moment  has  come."  Well,  well,  perhaps  it  is 
scarcely  human  to  be  without  fear.  I  wonder  my 
Ginnie  and  I  cannot  feel  as  others  do — whether  we 
suffer  too  much  in  heart  to  fear  in  body,  or 
whether  we  lack  that  realizing  sense  of  danger 
which  forces  us  to  prepare  for  it.  Mrs.  Norton 
has  a  hatchet,  a  tomahawk,  and  a  vial  of  some 
kind  of  spirits  with  which  she  intends  to  blind  all 
invaders.  We  have  made  no  preparations,  but  if 
the  worst  happen  we  will  die  bravely  no  doubt. 

The  cars  passed  furiously  twice  about  midnight, 
or  later;  we  were  all  awaked  by  sounds  so  un 
usual.  There  are  patrols  all  over  the  city  and 
every  preparation  has  been  made  to  meet  the 
insurrectionists.  I  indeed  expect  no  rising  now, 
though  some  of  the  Federals  preach  to  the  negroes 
in  the  churches,  calling  on  them  to  "sweep  us 
away  forever."  General  Banks  is  not  like 
Butler ;  he  will  protect  us.  The  generality  of  the 
soldiers  hate  the  negroes  and  subject  them  to 
great  abuse  whenever  they  can.  This  poor,  silly 


60       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

race  has  been  made  a  tool  of — enticed  from  their 
good  homes  and  induced  to  insult  their  masters. 
They  now  lie  about,  destitute  and  miserable,  with 
out  refuge  and  without  hope.  They  die  in  num 
bers  and  the  city  suffers  from  their  innumerable 
thefts. 

Christmas  passed  off  quietly,  and,  to  us,  sadly. 
The  ladies  gave  a  pleasant  dinner  to  the  Confed 
erate  prisoners  of  war  now  in  the  city.  Rumors 
from  Lafourche  that  Weitzel  has  been  defeated. 
His  resignation  was  sent  on  the  Spaulding,  but 
has  not  been  received  yet  by  the  President.  He 
resigns,  they  say,  to  marry  an  heiress,  Miss 
Gaskett.  She,  a  Creole  of  Louisiana,  consents  to 
marry  one  who  has  spent  months  in  command  of 
soldiers  who  have  been  desolating  her  country. 


II. 

JANUARY  1 — JANUARY  28,  1863. 

January  1st  [1863].  The  long  expected  negro 
dinner  did  not  come  off.  Banks  has  forbidden  all 
public  demonstrations.  During  Butler's  reign  a 
great  many  wooden  figures,  painted  black  and 
wearing  chains,  were  made  for  exhibition  on  this 
occasion.  The  programme  was  a  procession  bear 
ing  along  these  figures,  which  were  to  be  met  by 
the  goddess  of  liberty,  who  was  to  break  their 
chains.  One  may  imagine  the  scene  if  it  had  only 
been  acted  out.  The  Ogden  girls  in  from  Green 
ville.  Lizzie  in  much  distress ;  came  to  tell  a  tale 
which  she  did  not  wish  us  to  hear  from  others. 
It  seems  a  young  naval  officer,  attracted  towards 
the  girls  from  having  met  them  on  the  cars,  has 
got  the  family  physician,  Doctor  Campbell,  to  take 
him  to  the  judge's  house.  The  judge  met  the 
gentleman  on  the  railroad,  and,  though  hating  the 
sight  of  a  Federal  officer,  was  weak  enough  to 
express  no  disapprobation  of  his  visits.  The  girls 
fearing  to  hurt  the  old  doctor's  feelings,  enter 
tained  the  officer  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  The 
young  gentleman  came  every  day ;  brought  books, 
also  some  of  his  naval  friends.  The  judge  was  in 
distress  and  the  girls,  no  matter  how  they  felt, 

61 


62       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

knew  that  friendly  intercourse  with  those  against 
whom  four  of  their  brothers  are  in  arms,  was  not 
proper.  Remarks  were  made  by  the  neighbors 
and  the  Harrison  family  especially  had  been  very 
bitter,  she  said.  Jule,  who  reads  novels,  asserted 
defiantly  that  "no  one  had  a  right  to  speak  of 
what  they  pleased  to  do ;  indeed,  she  had  read  of 
instances  where  passages  of  romantic  love  had 
passed  between  rebel  ladies  and  English  officers 
(always  officers)  in  our  first  revolution/'  "This 
is  a  war  for  the  union,  Lizzie, "  said  I,  "therefore 
we  should  avoid  carefully  any  show  of  entertain 
ing  union  feelings ;  besides  it  is  scarcely  decorous 
to  take  a  hand  in  friendship  which  is  red  with 
Confederate  blood.  If  Lieutenant  Hale  had  been 
a  gentleman  he  would  not  have  entered  your  house 
as  he  did,  knowing  that  true  Southerners  are  com 
promised  by  receiving  Federals.  In  the  next  place 
I  don't  think  he  would  have  brought  you  Harper's 
illustrated  papers,  in  which  the  Confederates 
come  off  second  best,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  If 
Lieutenant  Hale  was  ill  and  needed  help  I  would 
not  hesitate  to  give  it  to  him,  but  as  a  guest  I 
would  not  receive  him.  No  woman 's  smile  should 
cheer  these  invaders.  There  is  a  latent  disrespect 
of  us  when  they  force  their  way  into  our  houses, 
and  we  make  tacit  acknowledgment  of  want  of 
self-respect  when  we  receive  them.  I  would  not 
be  rude,  for  rudeness  in  a  woman  is  always  vulgar, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       63 

but  you  can  freeze  those  young  gentlemen  with 
such  glances  and  quicken  them  with  such  politely 
pointed  remarks,  that  they  will  not  wish  to  come 
again. "  This  I  said  because  she  was  afraid  they 
would  injure  their  father  if  he  should  forbid  them 
the  house.  The  girls  have  little  knowledge  of  char 
acter,  but  are  kind  and  good  and  have  all  the  soft 
instincts  of  a  lady.  Mary  Harrison  was  in;  re 
ports  a  larger  camp  in  Greenville  than  ever  be 
fore.  We  told  her  of  the  supposed  bitterness  to 
the  Ogdens'.  It  was,  as  I  thought,  a  misunder 
standing. 

Reports  of  Confederate  victories  fill  the  town. 
There  is  great  excitement  and  many  women  are 
jubilant.  I,  too,  am  glad  that  we  are  safe  from 
conquest  and  desolation ;  each  victory  makes  this 
assurance  doubly  sure,  yet  even  a  great  victory  to 
one 's  own  side  is  a  sad  thing  to  a  lover  of  human 
ity.  I  accept  a  bloody  triumph  only  as  the  least 
of  two  evils.  My  friends,  I  think,  look  upon  me  as 
half  Yankee.  They  say  my  state  of  feeling  is  un 
natural.  Men's  suffering  always  excites  me,  let 
the  men  be  who  they  may.  When  it  comes  to 
" oath-of-allegiance "  taking,  I  am  staunch;  let 
me  lose  what  I  may  by  refusing.  Only  yesterday 
I  held  argument  with  some  that  they  should  *iot 
accept  their  slaves  on  the  plea  that  Louisiana  is  a 
"loyal"  State.  I  wouldn't  take  mine  on  such  a 
plea,  because  it  should  be  our  individual  pride  now 


64       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

to  prove  that  Louisiana  is  not  a  loyal  State.  This 
is  called  romance.  I  plead  with  my  acquaintances 
last  summer  to  resist  the  unlawful  taxation  which 
Butler  ordered.  I  tied  up  my  few  relics  to  bear  to 
prison  with  me,  when  he  ordered  the  police  to 
report  each  inmate  of  households  who  had  not 
taken  the  oath  with  as  good  faith  as  I  ever  had 
done  anything  in  my  life.  When  I  see  these  officers 
I  do  not  hide  the  scorn  I  feel.  I  cannot  conde 
scend  to  smile  or  render  more  than  a  haughty 
politeness,  even  though  I  lose  my  object  by  it,  yet 
I  am  thought  wavering  in  my  faith  to  the  Confed 
erate  cause  because  I  can  still  pity  the  slain  foe 
and  the  sufferings  of  the  living — and  because  I 
cannot  hurrah  for  a  victory.  Of  course  I  rejoice 
that  the  Fredericksburg  and  Vicksburg  heights 
have  not  been  carried,  but  my  heart  bleeds  in 
wardly  at  the  bloody  reports.  These  men  have 
many  to  mourn  them  at  home,  and  their  love  of 
life  was  as  ours.  It  is  true  they  need  not  have 
joined  in  such  unholy  war,  yet  numbers  perhaps 
have  not  been  moved  by  evil  motives.  There  is 
no  infatuation  so  baleful  that  good  men  by  artful 
tongues  cannot  be  brought  within  its  influence. 
The  human  mind  is  a  strange  thing — professing 
forever  to  seek  happiness  and  truth,  it  constantly 
immolates  one  and  crushes  out  the  other.  Oh, 
these  are  sad  days  and  I  regret  that  I  ever  lived  to 
see  them.  I  hope  our  country  will  be  spared  an- 


COLONEL   CLAUDIUS    FRANCIS   LEG  RAND 

(From   an    original   painting   "by   Hcaly) 

Born   in   France  ;    fought   in   the  War  of   1812   under  Perry 
Father   of   Julia    LeGrand 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND       65 

other  revolution,  but  I  doubt  it.  Bad  politicians 
will  never  be  wanting  to  stir  up  evil  for  the  sake 
of  gain.  Since  the  Constitution  of  our  forefathers 
has  been  forgotten,  the  security  seems  to  have 
gone  from  everything. 

The  Picayune  gives  a  long  account  of  victories 
in  Tennessee  and  at  Vicksburg;  we  have  slain 
many,  taken  prisoners  many,  and  sunk  ships.  A 
report  was  circulated  that  the  Texans  had  recov 
ered  Galveston,  sunk  some  Federal  vessels  and 
captured  others.  This  was  believed  by  Confeder 
ates  and  hooted  at  by  Unionists.  Bets  are  passed 
but  I  feel  in  no  humor  for  such  things.  We  asked 
Mr.  Roselius,  our  neighbor,  of  the  news  and  were 
advised  by  him  to  believe  no  ' '  such  trash ' '  as  that, 
but  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  January  the 
Yankee  Delta  admits  the  truth.  The  Harriet  Lane 
was  boarded  just  after  the  moon  had  set  and,  after 
a  desperate  struggle,  captured.  The  Westerfield, 
Commodore  Renshaw,  was  threatened,  but  he 
blew  up  the  vessel.  The  Delta  claims  a  glorious 
martyrdom  for  him  and  his  crew,  as  they  were  all 
destroyed  with  the  vessel,  but  report  proclaims 
the  loss  of  life  an  accident,  the  blowing  up  of  the 
boat  only  being  intended.  We  had  but  four  gun 
boats — half  launch,  half  old  steamers — yet  the 
Federals  here  claim  that  their  "  fleet "  escaped 
from  them.  Two  companies  of  the  42nd  Massa 
chusetts  regiment  were  captured,  also  two  trans- 


66       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

ports.  This  fight  has  made  a  profound  and  awful 
impression  on  me.  It  was  bold,  it  was  glorious ! 
I  can  imagine  our  men,  on  their  insecure  crafts, 
stealing  out  into  the  bay  under  cover  of  darkness ; 
the  suspense,  the  surprise,  the  desperate,  bloody 
struggle,  the  contending  emotions  of  fear  and 
hate,  the  confusion,  the  triumph,  and,  last  of  all, 
the  horrible  explosion.  Ah,  when  will  they  let  us 
s^o  in  peace  and  such  things  cease !  Mrs.  Roselius, 
as  great  a  Southerner  as  exists,  comes  over  every 
day  to  talk  her  "good  Southern  talk,"  she  says. 
She  leaves  her  husband,  who,  though  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  is  a  Unionist.  We  have  a  sort  of  con 
tention  on  political  subjects  whenever  we  meet. 
He  wanted  to  bring  some  good  Federal  officers  in. 
I  told  him  "that  he  had  better  not  try  it,"  and 
Ginnie  laughingly  said  "if  he  could  find  a  good 
one  he  might  bring  him  in. ' ' 

January  8th  [1863].  To-day  a  great  show  of 
artillery;  no  other  parade  that  I  see.  This  day, 
sacred  to  a  victory  over  a  foreign  foe  [battle  of 
New  Orleans,  1815],  finds  us  in  a  sad  plight.  We 
Confederates  are  victorious,  but  over  those  who 
should  have  been  our  brothers.  Went  with  Mrs. 
Dameron  to  look  over  her  sister's  house  (Mrs. 
Shepherd  Brown),  which  has  just  been  given  up 
by  one  set  of  Federals,  and  another  has  moved 
in — General  Banks  and  staff.  We  missed  lace 
curtains,  some  parlor  ornaments,  and  the  beauti- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       67 

ful  picture  of  the  Magdalen.  We  were  treated 
politely  by  servant  and  orderly;  with  the  latter 
we  had  a  long  talk.  He  is  from  Boston,  whither 
he  longs  to  return.  I  think  he  would  be  glad  of 
peace  on  any  terms.  I  felt  not  the  least  bitterness 
towards  the  poor  fellow,  who  looks  sad  enough. 
We  talked  our  views  freely.  I  told  him  that  my 
brother  had  last  been  seen  in  a  battle  of  "Stone- 
wall's"  with  this  very  General  Banks.  Banks 
was  defeated,  but  I  didn't  remind  him  of  it.  We 
took  a  glass  of  Yankee  ice  water.  Mrs.  Dameron 
was  kind  and  gentle,  though  she  had  many  rea 
sons  for  anger,  seeing  these  people  in  her  absent 
sister's  house  with  the  household  relics  scattered 
and  the  carpets  worn  and  faded  with  Federal 
footsteps ;  she  was  driven  out  of  her  other  sister's 
house  earlier  in  the  fall;  this  last,  the  finest  in 
town,  is  occupied  by  General  Shepley,  as  they 
call  him.  Can  there  be  a  Governor  who  has  never 
power  to  do  anything!  When  I  was  there  to  see 
his  lordship  with  Mrs.  Norton,  the  house  and  fur 
niture  looked  so  familiar  and  natural  that  I  sat 
there  speechless  at  first,  speculating  on  the 
strange  state  of  things.  Once  I  was  near  opening 
Mrs.  Brown's  bed-room  door.  His  lordship  kept 
us  waiting  a  long  while,  and  when  he  came  in  with 
his  deceitful  smile  I  did  hate  him,  the  vulgar- 
minded  official  who  imagines  that  place  will  make 
him  a  gentleman.  I  have  heard  that  he  was  one 


68       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  -LE  GR^ND 

at  home,  but  his  voice  betrays  him.  I  made  as 
biting  remarks  as  the  business  would  admit  of. 
He  gave  me  a  side  glance  of  hatred  from  his 
leaden  eye.  Mrs.  Norton  "gave  it  to  him,"  to  use 
her  own  words,  but  being  the  mother  of  the  lady 
whose  house  and  furniture  he  had  taken  posses 
sion  of,  he  felt  as  if  he  could  bear  with  her  I 
suppose. 

Mrs.  Norton  called  at  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Har 
rison's,  house  before  Butler 's  people  left  it,  and 
asked  that  the  sheep  might  be  put  out  of  the  yard, 
as  they  were  ruining  the  beautiful  shrubbery. 
The  mulatto  at  the  gate  gave  her  much  insolence ; 
told  her  "to  go  about  her  own  business, "  he  in 
tended  that  the  sheep  should  stay  there,  that  the 
shrubbery  should  be  destroyed,  and  that  if  she 
had  a  daughter  "he  intended  to  come  and  see 
her."  My  blood  ran  cold  when  she  told  me  this, 
and  for  the  first  time  I  realized  our  position  here 
among  these  lawless  negroes.  Mrs.  Norton  told 
General  Shepley  that  she  demanded  of  him  as  a 
gentleman  and  a  ruler  to  have  that  man  punished. 
She  asked  him  what  he  would  feel  if  a  negro 
should  tell  him  that  he  would  visit  his  daughters. 
"I  would  knock  him  down,"  replied  the  stalwart 
Governor.  "Then,"  says  Mrs.  Norton,  "I  de 
mand  that  you  punish  him  for  me. ' 9  The  smiling 
Governor  promised  to  go  immediately  and  have 
him  arrested,  but  that  was  the  last  of  it.  I  won- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       69 

der  how  a  man  contrives  to  smile  so,  yet  look 
querulous?  I  recalled  Shakespeare  when  I  met 
him,  "a  man  may  smile  and  smile,  etc."  We  had 
an  interview  with  Colonel  French.  Mrs.  Norton 
went  to  get  her  husband's  old  gun  (her  husband 
had  been  dead  for  many  years),  which  she  had 
given  up  last  summer  for  fear  that  the  negroes 
would  have  her  arrested,  as  many  have  been  for 
retaining  weapons.  "French  could  do  nothing; 
we  must  go  to  General  Banks'  people. "  This 
gentleman  has  nestled  himself  in  Judge  Pinck- 
ard's  house,  a  very  sweet  one.  He  was  polite 
enough,  and  our  interview  was  soon  over.  He 
looks  like  a  great  overgrown  schoolboy  with  a 
lovely  complexion,  but  there  is  no  play  of  intelli 
gence  either  in  his  face  or  manner.  The  Yankee 
Delta  calls  him  the  "gorgeous  French. "  His 
dress  was  gorgeous,  being  laced  with  gold  or 
brass  in  all  directions. 

Called  this  evening  on  Madame  Frangois; 
met  her  daughter,  a  delicate  Creole,  married 
to  a  real  robustious  Englishman  who  has 
grown  rich  and  important  in  this  country; 
heard  from  him  that  the  Federals  acknowl 
edge  the  capitulation  of  Rosecranz  and  the  4,000 
men;  heard  also  that  the  bombarding  fleet  has 
left  Vicksburg  to  return  to  Memphis  for  fear  of 
being  cut  off.  Banks  has  requested,  so  report 
says,  that  no  more  news  be  printed  until  tomor- 


70       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

row,  as  the  town  is  in  a  dreadfully  excited  state. 
He  need  not  fear;  the  excitement  of  joy  rarely 
injures.  A  flag  of  truce  has  come  in — report  says 
that  Banks  has  refused  to  receive  it.  This  cannot 
be  so  as  I  see  prisoners  are  to  be  exchanged.  It 
might  not  have  been  allowed  to  enter  town  for 
fear  of  excitement;  the  heart  of  the  city  warms 
to  the  Confederate  uniform.  Last  summer  when 
it  was  a  rare  sight  here,  we  all  went  to  a  friend 's 
house  to  see  a  young  Confederate  captain  who, 
after  being  confined  in  the  custom  house  for  some 
time,  was  allowed  to  be  out  on  parole.  The  Ogden 
girls  were  with  us.  After  we  arrived  we  found  the 
young  man,  a  Texan,  so  exceedingly  diffident  that 
we  were  abashed.  He  was  so  alarmed  that  he 
was  quite  alarming.  His  name  was  Blount,  and  a 
more  sincere,  ingenuous  and  stalwart  young  sol 
dier  I  could  not  wish  to  rely  upon  in  time  of  need. 
He  has  long  since  been  exchanged.  I  saw  in  the 
paper  to-day  that  General  Chalmers  is  wounded. 
His  sister-in-law  was  here  a  few  days  ago,  ex 
pressing  great  uneasiness  for  her  husband,  who 
is  General  Chalmers'  brother,  and  upon  General 
Chalmer  's  staff.  She  hears  nothing  from  him  and 
cannot  get  a  passport  to  go  out.  The  registered 
enemies  were  on  the  eve  of  departure  when  Banks 
arrived ;  General  Butler  had  issued  an  order  that 
they  should  leave,  bearing  with  them  baggage  to 
the  amount  of  $50  only.  Hundreds  were  disap- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       71 

pointed  when  Banks  issued  another  order,  chang 
ing  the  entire  programme.  Many  families  had 
parted  with  everything,  having  reserved  only 
enough  to  bear  them  out,  and  now  they  are  suffer 
ing.  Passports  are  not  sold  now  as  in  Butler's 
day,  and  we  rarely  hear  from  beyond  the  lines. 
I  never  hear  from  my  dear  ones  in  Texas ;  the  few 
lines  from  poor  Claude,  written  with  his  left  hand, 
being  the  last  I  received.  He  was  then  on  his  way 
from  Virginia,  having  bid  good-bye  to  "lines  and 
tented  fields "  and  left  one  gallant  arm  behind 
him.  He  stopped  with  Mrs.  Chilton,  who  lives  at 
Jackson,  a  day  or  two;  there,  I  hear,  he  got  a 
situation  in  the  commissary  department  in  Texas. 
January  9th  [1863].  A  very  sad  day  to  Ginnie 
and  myself.  I  was  careless  enough  to  leave  the 
key  in  my  trunk,  for  I  shall  never,  never  learn 
to  lock  up,  and  my  purse  with  $30  or  $40  was 
taken  out.  There  is  a  child  in  the  house  who 
stays  to  wait  on  us  in  our  rooms,  the  greatest 
story-teller  in  the  world;  she  is  accused,  and  I 
suppose  will  be  punished.  If  I  had  lost  it  in  the 
street  I  should  not  have  felt  so  unhappy  about  it. 
Punishment  of  no  matter  how  great  a  criminal 
afflicts  me.  I  have  gone  into  the  room  in  which 
Mrs.  Norton  has  locked  Harriet,  to  try  and  move 
her  to  tell  the  truth.  She  has  been  singing  and 
amusing  herself,  while  we  have  been  suffering 
for  her.  She  vows  that  she  never  touched  the 


72       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

purse,  yet  no  one  else  was  in  our  room.  I  feel 
miserable  lest  she  may  be  punished  wrongfully. 
She  is  considered  so  dreadfully  bad  that  she  never 
gets  a  kind  word  from  any  one.  The  servants  hate 
her  and  her  old  grandmother,  who  has  taught  her 
to  lie  and  steal,  almost  beats  her  to  death  some 
times.  Ginnie  and  I  have  been  very  kind  to  her, 
and  she  has  waited  on  us  so  cheerfully  and  with 
so  much  apparent  affection,  that  I  feel  an  inde 
scribable  pang  at  the  idea  of  having  brought  her 
into  trouble.  She  says  she  would  not  have  stolen 
from  us.  Oh,  well,  we  are  always  in  trouble  of 
some  sort.  I  feel  so  low  in  health  and  spirits  that 
I  wonder  sometimes  what  more  can  happen.  We 
have  had  $303.50  stolen  in  less  than  two  years. 
It  is  our  habit  to  be  gentle  with  dependents, 
though  we  are  proud  and  exacting  with  our  equals. 
I  begin  to  think  that  this  is  bad  policy.  The  world 
will  not  let  us  be  what  we  wish ;  it  seems  a  part 
of  chivalry,  to  my  mind,  to  be  gentle  to  the  lowly 
and  proud  to  the  high.  I  have  always  practiced 
this,  both  from  impulse  and  principle,  but  I  must 
admit  that  I  have  always  suffered  for  it. 

Mrs.  Norton  called  on  General  Banks  to-day. 
She  wished  us  to  go  with  her,  but  we  were  not 
well  enough.  The  orderly  did  not  present  her 
card,  so  the  gentle-mannered  ruler  demanded  of 
her  quite  bluntly  who  she  was.  "The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Harrison,"  she  returned.  "What  Mrs. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       73 

Harrison? "  "The  mother  of  the  lady  whose 
house  you  occupy/'  He  started  visibly,  but 
roughly  demanded,  "What  do  you  want?"  She 
stated  her  desire  to  sell  her  house,  but  as  she  had 
not  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  she  didn't  know  if  the  sale  would  be  lawful. 
He  had  no  objection,  he  said;  is  that  all  you 
want?  She  then  asked  him  if  Mr.  Harrison  were 
to  return  to  New  Orleans  would  he  be  compelled 
to  take  the  oath.  "I  know  nothing  about  it,"  re 
turned  the  polite  general.  "I  would  be  obliged  if 
you  would  tell  me  who  does  know,  as  I  had  thought 
you  are  the  very  person  to  whom  I  should  apply." 
The  General  scarcely  waited  to  hear  her  remark 
before  turning  on  his  heel  to  leave  her.  Other 
ladies  were  present  with  their  requests.  To  each 
and  all  he  spoke  rudely.  Having  waited  in  vain 
for  his  return  to  the  room,  they  all  left.  These 
people  rob  us  of  our  houses,  make  laws  forbid 
ding  us  to  sell  property,  or  to  leave  town,  or  in 
fact  to  do  anything  without  their  permission,  yet 
they  are  angry  and  rude  when  one  calls  on  this 
necessary  business.  Men  have  been  snatched  up 
without  knowing  wherefore  and  kept  in  forts  or 
in  the  custom  house,  and  their  wives  and  friends 
have  been  treated  as  impudent  intruders  for  even 
making  inquiry  after  them.  Mr.  Wilkinson, 
grandson  of  old  General  Wilkinson  of  the  last 
war,  has  just  got  out  of  confinement,  having  been 


74       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

placed  in  same  by  Butler  on  the  testimony  of  a 
negro  woman — offence,  keeping  arms  in  his 
house — with  the  town  filled  with  homeless,  lawless 
negroes  who  commit  robberies  and  other  offences 
daily.  I  never  realized  until  this  Yankee  rule  here 
how  many  bad  men  America  had  produced.  1 
took  a  walk  with  Katie  Wilkinson ;  poor  girl,  she 
lost  her  father  in  the  battle  of  Manassas,  the  last 
Manassas.  She  was  devoted  to  him  and  he  was 
fondly  attached  to  his  girls. 

January  10th  [1863].  A  long  train  of  artillery 
has  just  passed.  The  news  is  kept  from  us  as 
much  as  possible,  but  it  is  thought  that  the  men 
are  on  their  way  to  attack  Port  Hudson.  The 
mortar  boats  have  been  brought  from  Mobile  and 
are  now  lying  here,  some  think,  to  shell  this  place 
in  case  of  attack  by  Confederates,  but  for  the 
Port  Hudson  attack,  I  think.  Many  rumors  are 
afloat  as  to  our  recognition  by  France;  some 
think  the  matter  already  settled,  that  Slidell  was 
received  by  Louis  Napoleon  on  1st  January.  We 
look  eagerly  for  news;  we  are  prepared  to  fight 
our  own  battles,  yet  recognition  is  longed  for. 
Once,  how  the  thought  of  foreign  interference 
would  have  fired  our  blood!  I  can  scarcely  com 
prehend  my  own  feelings.  I  do  hate  those  bloody 
wretches  who  have  made  war  upon  us,  and  I  glory 
in  our  Southern  chivalry,  but  I  feel  towards  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  as  if  it  had  been 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       75 

seized  by  usurpers.  I  feel  that  we  should  have 
retained  the  old  flag,  as  we  alone  held  fast  to  the 
Constitution.  The  Yankees  have  no  right  'to  it; 
they  have  been  persecutors  and  meddlers  even 
from  the  witch-burning  time  until  now.  I  wish 
that  we  may  part  with  them  forever,  yet  I  cannot 
look  at  an  old  map  of  our  country,  magical  word, 
without  a  strange  thrill  at  my  heart.  Mr.  Roselius 
passed  by  just  now — sneered  at  our  Confederate 
victories.  Says  we  '11  get  back  New  Orleans  when 
the  "  geese  have  teeth. "  I  was  informed  by  a 
friend  later  in  the  day  that  geese  have  splendid 
rows  of  very  sharp  teeth.  I  sent  Mr.  Roselius  a 
teasing  message  on  the  subject.  In  truth,  though, 
the  taking  back  of  the  city  which  involves  the 
misery  of  so  many  is  no  subject  for  jesting. 

January  12th  [1863].  "Picayune  extra "  is 
called  through  the  streets  to-day  and  late  to-night. 
Terrible  slaughter  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro 
on  both  sides;  all  Rosecranz's  staff  killed;  Breck- 
enridge's  division  on  our  side  defeated;  the  Fed 
erals  mowed  down  by  thousands  and  their 
slaughter,  especially  in  officers,  to  use  their  own 
words,  "  heartrending. "  The  dauntless  Confed 
erates,  our  splendid  braves,  went  down  by  thou 
sands,  leaving  many  a  sweet  babe  fatherless  and 
many  a  widow  mourning.  Ah,  when  will  this 
deadly,  wild  war  be  past?  The  Monitor  is  de 
stroyed.  Lincoln  about  to  take  the  field  in  person, 


76       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

and  McClellan  restored  to  command.  He  is  the 
only  Federal  general  I  either  fear  or  respect. 
Two  long  trains  of  artillery  passed  our  door 
to-day. 

One  young  officer  particularly  attracted  my  at 
tention;  he  looked  so  truly  gallant — some  moth 
er's  darling,  I  know.  In  his  young  enthusiasm  he 
has  come  to  fight  for  the  Union;  he  will  die  for 
it,  probably,  without  in  any  way  contributing  to 
its  restoration.  We  find  a  great  difference  in  the 
appearance  of  Banks '  troops  and  those  of  Butler ; 
the  last  appeared  to  be  mere  scum  of  the  earth, 
nevertheless  I  am  sorry  for  them  because  they 
suffer.  A  Federal  officer  stopped  at  Mrs.  Harri 
son's  gate  a  day  or  two  ago,  asking  a  few  rosebuds 
that  he  might  press  them  to  send  to  his  wife; 
there  are  no  flowers  where  she  is  now.  This  pure 
remembrance  and  thought  of  the  soldier  touched 
me.  I  was  touched,  too,  at  the  remark  of  a  private 
passing  the  gate.  "Here  I  am,"  said  he,  "so 
many  miles  from  home,  and  not  a  soul  that  cares 
a  damn  whether  I  live  or  die,  or  what  becomes  of 
me. ' '  Another  remarked,  when  the  newsboy  cried 
out  "a  new  order, "  "I  wish  it  were  an  order  for 
peace  and  one  to  go  home."  Mrs.  Norton  got 
quite  impatient  with  Miss  Marcella  Wilkinson 
to-day  for  praising  several  of  the  officers  who  had 
been  kind  to  her  family,  and  interested  themselves 
in  procuring  the  release  of  her  brother,  who  had 


JOUKNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       77 

been  arrested  by  Butler.    Mrs.  N thinks  no 

one  can  be  a  true  Southerner  and  praise  a  Yankee. 
She  thought  it  no  honor  "to  be  treated  decently 
by  one  of  the  wretches ;  she  wished  the  devils  were 
all  killed. "  There  is  a  difference  even  among 
devils,  it  seems,  as  some  of  Banks'  people  do  try 
to  be  kind  to  us,  while  Butler's  were  just  the  re 
verse.  How  few  people  have  an  enlarged  liber 
ality!  I  wonder  if  it  will  ever  be  possible  for  a 
novelist  to  render  to  view  the  faults  of  his  coun 
trymen  in  this  land;  the  mention  of  one  failing 
even  in  private  conversation  raises  a  sort  of 
storm,  not  always  polite  either.  I  am  thought  all 
sorts  of  things  because  I  endeavor  to  do  justice 
to  all  parties;  one  day  I  am  an  abolitionist,  an 
other  a  Yankee,  another  too  hot  a  "rebel,"  an 
other  all  English,  and  sometimes  I  love  my 
Maryland,  and  no  other  State ;  all  the  while  I  love 
my  own  land,  every  inch  of  it,  better  than  all  the 
world  and  feel  a  burning  desire  ever  kindling  in 
my  heart  that  my  countrymen  should  be  first  in  all 
the  world  for  virtue.  They  are  so  kind,  so  gener- j 
ous,  so  brave,  so  gallant  to  women  that  I  desire  j 
for  them  all  the  good  that  belongs  to  human  char 
acter,  the  graces  of  chivalry  as  well  as  its  sturdy 
manhood,  and  the  elegant  liberality  of  philosophy 
and  benevolence. 

Went  with  Mrs.  Dameron  and  Ginnie  to  look 
at  a  house,  after  the  sale  of  her  home ;  we  found 


78       JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

one  room  filled  with  pretty  furniture,  which  the 
old  man  said  he  could  not  remove  without  asking 
Banks,  or  Clark,  or  some  of  our  Yankee  rulers, 
the  owners  thereof  having  left  town  when  it  was 
captured  and  being  Confederates,  their  property 
having  been  seized.  We  found  a  garden  filled  with 
sweet  blooming  roses  and  jessamines  and  violets ; 
also  an  old  picture  which  interested  me,  * '  The  Sol 
dier  's  Dream, "  the  foreground  representing  a 
man  covered  with  a  blanket  by  a  rude  camp  fire ; 
the  background,  which  is  misty  and  dreamlike, 
presents  a  woman  and  little  ones  clasping  a  re 
turned  soldier  almost  at  the  hamlet  door.  This 
picture  made  me  very  sad.  It  suits  our  present 
times  very  well.  Will  men  ever  be  civilized  and 
let  war  cease?  Did  not  go  out  again  all  day,  but 
saw  several  visitors  in  our  rooms ;  I  hate  the 
squares  and  streets  and  would  be  content  in  a 
prison  to  be  rid  of  them. 

January  14th  [1863].  Just  this  moment  got  a 
letter  from  Mrs.  Chilton ;  it  came  from  Vicksburg, 
where  she  has  been  to  attend  Miss  Emanuel's 
wedding.  She  went  by  boat  with  a  flag  of  truce. 
She  writes  enigmatically,  but  informs  us,  who  un 
derstand  her,  that  all  is  safe  in  that  region  for 
our  Confederate  arms;  she  has  just  heard  from 
our  dear  Claude,  whom  she  calls  Claudine,  who 
writes  with  his  poor  left  hand  from  Texas.  All 
well  and  all  safe  there.  She  has  just  written  to 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       79 

our  dear  sister  there  that  we  are  well ;  I  wish  she 
could  have  said  happy.  I  feel  grateful  to  hear 
even  through  others  when  so  many  here  are  cut 
off  entirely.  Mrs.  Stone  has  lost  her  young  son 
in  the  army ;  so  also  has  Mrs.  Prentiss.  How  my 
heart  aches  for  the  poor  desolate  mothers  in  this 
cruel  war.  Mr.  Brink  came  up  with  a  few  lines 
from  Mr.  Brown,  written  without  date  or  signa 
ture;  all  are  in  fine  spirits  beyond  the  lines  and 
Bragg 's  fight  with  Rosecranz  in  Tennessee  is 
considered  a  victory  to  our  side  in  the  Confed 
eracy,  though  here  the  Yankees  dole  it  out  to  us 
in  the  papers  as  a  defeat.  An  order  of  Banks'  to 
day  enjoins  on  all  of  us  a  most  respectful  treat 
ment  of  Federal  soldiers;  parents  are  to  be  held 
responsible  for  the  behavior  of  the  children.  I 
had  no  idea  rulers  could  descend  to  such  trifles, 
for  my  part  I  consider  it  beneath  me  to  treat 
anyone  with  rudeness,  least  of  all  would  I  treat 
with  indignity  these  wretched  privates  who  have 
been  induced  to  leave  their  homes  by  thousands 
of  pretenses,  and  are  uncomfortable  and  miser 
able  enough  without  our  jeers.  They  all  have  a 
serious,  heavy-hearted  aspect;  men  fighting  for 
home  and  fireside  feel  differently ;  our  Confeder 
ate  knights  have  at  least  this  consolation  to  sup 
port  them  under  all  their  trials.  The  wind  blew  a 
perfect  hurricane  all  day;  I  thought  of  the  poor 
soldiers  at  sea.  Spent  the  evening  at  Mrs.  Dam- 


80       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

eron's;  got  an  old  music  book  containing  many 
songs  which  are  among  my  first  recollections, 
when  my  father's  guitar  and  his  melodious  voice 
seemed  to  me  the  finest  music.  As  I  recalled  one 
by  one  the  friends  whose  voices  are  forever  stilled, 
who  used  to  sing  those  songs,  I  felt  a  pang  like 
that  of  a  new  parting  for  each  and  all ;  my  heart 
would  cry  out,  i '  What  is  life  after  all  ?' ' 

An  order  to-day  tempting  planters  to  bring 
down  their  produce.  The  earnest  desire  to  open 
the  river  is  made  known  by  other  means  than 
those  used  at  Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg.  These 
places  both  hold  out,  though  it  is  represented  in 
Northern  papers  that  both  have  fallen.  This  is  a 
deliberate  falsehood  gotten  up  to  prevent  recog 
nition.  By  the  fall  of  either  we  would  lose  the 
supplies  from  Red  River  and  Texas,  upon  which 
a  large  portion  of  our  people  depend,  and  by  the 
seizure  of  the  railroad  which  would  follow,  the 
Confederacy  would  be  cut  in  half.  The  fleet  has 
all  left  Vicksburg,  being  threatened  from  above. 
A  large  force  is  drilling  here  daily  for  an  attack 
on  Port  Hudson.  We  hear  that  our  people  are 
killing  the  enemy  rapidly  in  various  portions  of 
Louisiana,  where  they  have  been  burning  houses, 
stealing  negroes  and  all  other  property,  and  com 
mitting  frightful  depredations.  We  Confederates 
of  New  Orleans  consider  that  Louisiana  has  been 
neglected  by  our  Government;  Mississippi  gets 


MOLLIE  EMAXUEL 

Married    the    Rev.    John    E.    Wheeler  ;      President    Jefferson    Davis    was 

one    of    the    guests    at    her    wedding.      Present    Residence 

at   Roslyn,    Baltimore   County,   Maryland 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       81 

the  credit  of  holding  out  better  against  the  foe,  but 
as  soon  as  she  was  threatened  the  Government 
made  haste  to  help  her  with  tried  soldiers  from  all 
parts  of  the  Confederacy.  Louisiana  and  Ken 
tucky  bled  in  defense  of  Vicksburg,  coward 
'  *  New  Orleans ' '  is  the  cry.  There  were  no  troops 
left  to  defend  New  Orleans,  though  such  an  im 
portant  point.  We  had  no  soldiers  except  the 
' '  Confederate  Guard, ' '  a  sort  of  holiday  regiment 
composed  of  the  well-to-do  old  gentlemen  of  the 
city,  who  were  anxious  to  show  their  patriotism 
on  the  parade  ground,  but  who  never  expected  to 
fight.  The  pomp  and  circumstance  they  kept  up 
finely.  They  had  beautiful  tents,  too,  on  their 
camping-out  excursions,  to  which  they  trans 
ported  comfortable  bedsteads,  sundry  boxes  and 
demijohns.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  idea  of  being 
of  immense  service  to  a  grateful  country,  gave 
quite  a  flavor  to  their  expensive  wines ;  these  were 
our  defenders,  and  General  Lovell  was  given  to 
feasting  with  them.  They  were  called  his  pets. 
When  the  forts  fell  the  most  valiant  of  these  gen 
tlemen  returned  with  General  Lovell  to  Camp 
Moore,  and  others,  using  much  discretion,  made 
haste  to  pack  away  their  epaulettes  and  became 
the  most  unassuming  of  citizens  on  a  moment's 
notice.  We  had  no  tried  men  at  the  forts.  Con 
gress  was  appealed  to  again  and  again,  but  the 
President  and  House  seemed  to  keep  up  a  hard- 


82       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

ened  blindness  as  to  its  condition.  I  am  told  that 
Davis  said  that  two  guns  could  defend  New  Or 
leans,  and  that  Benjamin  laughingly  said  that 
"Timbuctoo  would  be  attacked  as  soon."  Well, 
well,  here  am  I  writing,  nearly  a  year  after 
its  fall,  running  out  to  look  at  Yankee  cavalry 
instead  of  the  Confederate  Guards,  while,  more 
serious  matter  still,  the  poor,  surprised  planta 
tions  are  defended  by  hastily  gotten  up  guerrilla 
bands.  There  is  a  fight  at  Baton  Rouge,  in  Yan 
kee  possession,  nearly  every  night;  no  Yankee 
boat  dares  go  beyond  a  certain  distance  up  the 
river.  The  guerrillas,  not  infrequently,  fire  on 
them  and  sometimes  capture  or  burn  them.  To 
what  a  dreadful  condition  is  our  dear  country  re 
duced — our  country  which  once  lay  in  happy 
security. 

Every  wile  is  used  to  obtain  cotton ;  when  it  can 
be  seized,  it  is,  of  course.  Men  are  going  round 
constantly  buying  even  the  smallest  parcels  of  this 
now  precious  commodity — mattresses  and  small 
samples — offering  fabulous  prices  for  the  same. 
On  our  old  plantation,  with  what  little  reverence 
I  regarded  this  beautiful  staple !  Now  it  seems  to 
represent  so  much  that  it  appeals  to  my  fancy 
almost  like  a  matter  of  poetry.  '  *  King  Cotton  de 
throned  must  mount  again. "  How  the  working 
world  is  suffering  for  his  aid.  A  letter  has  re 
cently  arrived  from  Mrs.  Roselius'  sister,  who  is 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       83 

English  and  in  England ;  she  dwells  much  on  the 
suffering  of  the  people  near  her ;  she  had  had  no 
idea  that  the  world  could  contain  such  distress; 
she  never  saw  anything  like  it  in  America,  where 
she  lived  so  long.  The  Government  is  allowing 
the  starved  operatives  five  cents  per  day.  Food  is 
as  dear  there  as  here,  and  I  am  sure  that  no  Amer 
ican,  no  negro  slave,  could  support  life  on  such  a 
sum.  Ah,  if  men  would  only  grow  wise  enough  to 
let  the  evils  of  other  countries  alone  until  they 
had  remedied  those  near  them !  1 1  The  Greeks  are 
at  our  door,"  said  John  Randolph  once,  when 
called  on  to  contribute  to  their  assistance. 

January  15th  [1863].  It  stormed  all  night.  I 
lay  awake  and  thought  of  the  poor,  poor  soldiers. 
I  thought,  too,  much  of  the  fall  of  Ft.  Donelson, 
where  the  flag  of  the  Confederacy  went  down  in 
storm  and  blood.  How  sadly  I  recall  my  feeling  of 
horror  the  night  an  "extra"  made  known  to  us 
that  tragic  event!  How  much  blood  shed  since! 
Lincoln  calls  the  slaughter  of  Fredericksburg  an 
accident — some  new  road  to  Richmond  is  to  be 
proposed,  his  troops  are  not  to  go  into  winter 
quarters.  This  will  keep  our  poor  Southern  boys 
also  exposed,  and  now,  even  in  this  latitude,  the 
cold  wind  is  singing  its  melancholy  song,  both  by 
night  and  day.  God  help  them  all,  and  the  poor 
anxious  women  who  are  watching. 

Mrs.  Blinks  conversed  with  a  gentleman  who 


84       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

had  spoken  with  four  different  ship  owners  at  the 
North ;  each  had  lost  a  vessel  at  nearly  the  same 
time,  and  each  loser  reported  himself  to  have  been 
robbed  by  the  Alabama,  Captain  Semmes.  He  and 
others  think  that  we  have  several  privateers  out ; 
the  Arrieto  lately  ran  the  blockade  at  Mobile.  I 
have  just  read  the  captures  of  the  Ariel  by  the 
Alabama,  and  the  speech  of  Captain  Semmes  to 
the  frightened  crew.  "We  are  gentlemen,  not 
pirates, "  and  "We  gentlemen  of  the  Alabama 
harm  no  one,"  are  speeches  which  especially  took 
my  fancy.  In  answer  to  a  voice  which  cried, t '  You 
nearly  sunk  our  ship  just  now  with  your  shot, ' '  he 
said,  "That  is  our  duty;  we  war  upon  the  sea." 
He  is  no  pirate,  he  claims,  but  carries  a  Confeder 
ate  State's  commission.  He  is  a  gallant  fellow, 
and  I  am  glad  he  comes  from  Maryland.  These 
Southern  soldiers  often  stir  a  vein  of  poetry  in 
my  heart  which  I  had  thought  belonged  exclu 
sively  to  the  knights  of  old.  I  remember  when 
Bradley  Johnson  rode  into  Fredericktown,  Mary 
land,  he  cried  out  to  the  timid,  "We  come  to  harm 
no  one;  we  are  friends,  we  are  not  robbers,  but 
Southern  gentlemen. ' '  The  Northern  people  have 
not  shown  their  boasted  civilization  in  the  prog 
ress  of  this  war.  Robbery,  house-burning,  and 
every  species  of  depredation  has  marked  the 
course  of  the  Northern  armies.  Our  soldiers  at 
least  respect  woman,  but  even  in  this  town  helpless 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       85 

females  have  been  driven  from  their  houses  with 
out  their  personal  effects,  and  insulted  in  the 
grossest  manner.  I  hear  that  our  Louisiana  boys 
often  go  into  a  fight  with  cries  of  "New  Orleans 
and  Butter." 

Negroes  are  starving  in  the  streets,  though  the 
Federals  have  taxed  all  citizens  here  who  have 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  war  for  the  support  of 
the  poor.  They  boast  of  feeding  our  poor,  but  the 
city  furnishes  the  means ;  they  do  not  contribute 
a  penny  themselves,  but  sell  their  provisions  at  the 
highest  rate.  Butler  boasted  to  the  last  of  having 
fed  this  starving  city. 

January  16th  [1863].  The  Ogden  and  Harrison 
girls  all  in  to-day  from  Greensville,  looking  rosy 
from  the  cold,  and  fat  and  cheerful  in  spite  of 
blockades.  They  are  brimful  of  the  pride  and 
glory  and  chivalry  of  "Rebeldom."  Our  South 
ern  heroes  are  fondly  talked  of  by  thousands  of 
firesides  from  which  they  are  shut  out.  I  read  an 
amusing  letter  written  by  an  Englishman,  one  of 
the  Alabama's  men.  Semme's  Southern  chivalry, 
it  seems  is  sometimes  put  to  the  test — he  spared 
the  Tonawando  from  destruction  because  of  the 
female  passengers,  though  it  well  nigh  broke  his 
heart  to  part  with  so  fine  a  vessel.  Ah,  never  let 
it  be  said  that  Southerners  injure  women!  All 
prisoners  are  treated  well,  this  Englishman  says, 
though  many  are  not  grateful  for  having  their 


86       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

lives  spared.  The  Englishman  says  he  is  "  taking 
both  to  the  people,  the  ship,  and  the  cause.  ' ' 

Mr.  Payne's  funeral  took  place  to-day;  died 
from  brain  affection  brought  on  by  trouble  caused 
by  this  war.  His  sons  are  in  the  army,  and  he  has 
left  two  young  and  pretty  daughters.  They  have 
no  mother  and  he  was  the  fondest  of  fathers.  The 
breaking  up  of  the  home  is  a  solemn  and  awful 
thing  to  see.  In  after  years  we  often  realize  how 
dear  has  been  the  common  daily  routine  of  the  old 
home  life. 

A  Yankee  soldier  remarked  in  the  car  to-day, 
"  I  wonder  if  these  Southern  girls  can  love  as  they 
hate?  If  they  can,  it  would  be  well  worth  one's 
trying  to  get  one  of  them. ' '  Another,  passing  the 
gate,  said  to  his  companions,  "I  tell  you  these 
Southerners  have  real  pluck ;  if  they  were  man  to 
man  with  us  they  would  whip  us  all  to  smash,  but 
we  have  three  to  one,  and  that's  the  only  way  we'll 
whip  them."  Strange  that  they  have  so  many 
men  yet  always  complain  when  defeated  that  they 
were  overwhelmed  by  numbers.  I  am  told  that 
there  is  a  great  speech  of  Valandingham  out.  How 
I  admire  this  man,  with  his  clear,  keen,  practical 
sense,  imbued  by  a  lofty  sentiment ;  his  rectitude, 
his  strength,  his  sagacity  to  see  the  right,  and  his 
courage  to  speak  it,  in  a  time  so  corrupt  that  there 
is  danger  in  so  speaking.  He  can  never  become 
the  mere  man  of  wood  that  so  many  are.  His 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       87 

noble  protests  against  this  cruel  war  have  given 
positive  comfort  to  me;  it  is  so  bitter  to  believe 
humanity  corrupt.  The  number  of  his  admirers 
in  his  own  country  proves  that  the  Northern  peo 
ple  are  not  all  filled  with  spite  and  hatred  of  us, 
as  so  many  believe.  I  love  my  own  land  as  well 
as  any  man  or  woman  that  it  nourishes!  How 
gladly  would  I  submit  to  sacrifices  for  her  benefit 
or  ennobling!  How  proudly  would  I  shed  my 
blood  in  her  defence  if  I  could,  but  my  heart  has 
yet  to  learn  to  take  pleasure  in  the  idea  of  evil 
in  other  lands !  Love  of  country  does  not  consist 
in  hatred  of  other  countries,  or  patriotism  in  be 
lieving  that  ours  is  free  of  faults;  an  honest 
desire  to  rectify  the  faults  of  one's  own  country 
should  stir  the  heart  of  each  man  and  woman  in 
it.  This  is  a  greater  safeguard  than  boasting  of 
our  excellences.  The  statesman,  or  author,  who 
tells  us  the  truth  is  a  greater  benefactor  than  he 
who  flatters  our  pride.  No  fear,  with  our  English 
blood,  of  our  becoming  too  humble-minded. 

There  is  a  war  of  parties  expected  at  the  North ; 
I  wish  for  it  if  it  can  result  in  letting  the  South 
pass  in  peace,  but  this  great  end  gained,  I  cannot 
contemplate  without  horror  the  idea  of  civil  war 
and  its  desolations.  "They  deserve  it,"  say  my 
friends,  who  are  ready  to  shake  me  for  what  they 
call  luke-warmness.  How  painful  it  is  never  to 
be  comprehended;  of  two  evils,  both  for  myself 


88       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

and  my  enemy,  I  would  choose  the  least.  If  the 
North  can  suffer  enough  from  the  reign  of  her 
bloody  radicals  to  bring  back  her  good  sense  and 
humanity,  I  will  be  glad  enough  for  her  to  suffer ; 
further  than  this  I  wish  her  no  ill ;  my  prayer  is 
ever  that  she  may  repent  and  go  in  peace.  They 
have  treated  us  cruelly  and  I  wish  companionship, 
fellowship  and  community  of  interest,  never  any 
more.  Just  heard  from  a  gentleman  from  the 
North,  that  there  is  no  hope  of  peace  from  that 
quarter.  The  radicals,  knowing  that  they  have 
the  reins  of  Government  in  their  own  hantis,  are 
determined  to  press  the  war  and  overwhelm  us 
before  the  Democrats  can  come  into  power.  There 
is  no  hope  that  Lincoln  will  extend  the  time  of 
Congress,  and  therefore  the  Democrats  must  sit 
in  silent  patience.  These  dreadful  radicals  are 
the  jacobins  of  America  and  their  cry  is  like  the 
old  one,  "More  blood !"  The  Democrats  treat 
them,  I  hear,  with  the  greatest  contempt  socially 
and  politically.  We  have  been  hoping  so  for 
peace;  my  God,  can  we  endure  another  year  of 
war!  Mrs.  Roselius  has  just  told  us  of  some  of 
the  sufferings  <pf  Pierre  Soule  in  Fort  Lafayette ; 
he  was  an  intimate  acquaintance  of  hers  and  she 
has  learned  much  concerning  him.  A  friend  of 
Soule 's  who  knew  how  comfortably  he  had  lived 
in  New  Orleans,  got  permission  from  the  Govern 
ment  at  Washington  to  send  him  little  luxuries 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       89 

in  prison.  These  she  carried  to  him  daily  with 
her  own  hands,  trusting  none  except  the  one  to 
whom  her  little  offerings  were  necessarily  con 
signed — the  jailer  himself.  What  was  her  sur 
prise  after  Mr.  Soule's  release  to  hear  that  he  had 
never  received  one  of  the  articles  which  the  jailer 
had  made  so  many  kind  promises  to  deliver.  Mr. 
Denman  rode  in  the  car  in  New  York  with  an  old 
woman  who  publicly  cursed  the  secessionists  and 
wished  them  all  sorts  of  horrors ;  one  of  her  sons 
they  had  killed  outright,  she  said,  and  another  to 
whom  she  was  hastening  had  been  wounded. 
"Were  they  drafted  men,  or  did  they  enlist? " 
asked  Mr:  Denman.  "They  enlisted."  "Ah, 
well,  they  must  have  expected  and  been  prepared 
for  the  consequences  of  war.  They  went  to 
invade  the  South ;  their  country  was  not  invaded. ' ' 
January  17th  [1863].  Company  all  day.  Mrs. 
Roselius  and  a  sweet  little  girl^.  who  came  to  let  us 
know  they  had  a  letter  from  Henny  Davenport. 
She  and  her  mother  had  a  stormy  passage  across 
the  water ;  had  put  in  at  Cork,  but  were  now  safe 
with  friends  at  Kingston.  Henny  sends  word 
that  she  likes  Europe,  but  New  Orleans  better. 
She  longs  to  see  the  Confederate  uniform.  Mrs. 
Davenport  had  a  private  interview  a  few  days 
before  she  left  for  Europe  with  two  gentlemen — 
friends  of  her  husband.  During  this  interview 
she  agreed  to  accept  from  Mr.  Wringlet,  one  of 


90       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

the  gentlemen,  a  certain  amount  of  household 
silver,  in  payment  of  a  debt,  he  being  at  this  crisis 
unable  to  give  money,  though  worth  millions. 
She  thought,  and  so  did  the  gentleman,  that  the 
interview  was  strictly  private;  their  astonish 
ment  was  therefore  profound  when  General 
Butler  sent  for  all  three  and  opened  up  the  silver 
subject.  Mrs.  Davenport,  though  angry  enough, 
trotted  along  with  Butler's  orderly.  She  found 
his  Lordship  walking  the  floor  in  his  usual  the 
atrical  manner.  The  two  gentlemen  were  sum 
moned  and  accused,  in  brutal  language,  of  swin 
dling.  "Do  you  know  that  these  men  have  cheated 

you?"  he  said  to  Mrs.  D .    "How  did  this 

happen ?"  he  said,  turning  to  Mr.  .     "Mind 

how  you  lie  to  me."  "You  do  not  awe  me  by 
threats  or  such  language,  General  Butler,"  re 
turned  Mr. ;  "  I  lie  to  no  man. ' '  The  precious 

image  of  brutal  Judge  Jeffries  now  stamped  his 
foot  and  made  his  favorite  threat — Fort  Jackson. 
Mrs.  D ,  trembling,  said  she  had  made  a  previ 
ous  contract  with  these  gentlemen  and  by  it  she 
was  determined  to  abide.  After  more  threats  and 
much  sifting  he  ordered  the  gentlemen  to  prison 

and  Mrs.  D to  leave  his  presence.    The  silver 

had  been  conveyed  to  the  vessel  upon  which  Mrs. 

D was    to    sail.     Butler  had  the  hatchways 

broken  and  the  silver  delivered  over  to  his  tender 
and  honest  mercies.  The  gentlemen  were  ordered 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       91 

to  raise  a  certain  sum  of  money  by  such  a  time . 
one  of  them  was  bought  off  by  one  of  his  nieces. 
The  next  day  the  orderly  was  sent  again  for  Mrs. 

D ,  and  through  a  broiling  sun  she  had  again 

to  follow  him.  This  time  she  was  so  angry  she 
forgot  to  be  afraid.  "Here  is  some  money  for 
you,"  said  Butler  to  her,  pointing  to  $500.00,  "in 
return  for  the  debt  out  of  which  those  men  cheated 
you."  "I  will  not  take  it,"  she  said  firmly;  "I 
abide  by  my  bargain."  "You  won't,  won't  you? 
Here  have  I  been  to  the  trouble  to  do  you  justice 
and  you  don't  choose  to  accept  of  it;  they  tell  me 
you  are  going  to  Europe;  how  well  you  would 
look  now  to  go  among  your  friends  there  with  a 
bit  of  silver  marked  in  one  name  and  another  bit 
in  another.  You  are  not  so  young,  I  think,  that 
you  don't  know  something  of  business.  When 
are  you  going  to  be  off?"  "On  Monday,  sir."  "I 
shall  send  you  sooner."  "I  shall  go  when  I  am 
ready,  sir,"  very  firmly.  "You  shall  go  tomor 
row,"  stamping.  "I  shall  go  when  I  am  ready, 
sir,"  more  firmly  still.  "I  wish  none  of  your 
impudence ;  you  have  a  very  long  tongue  of  your 
own. "  "  Yes,  sir,  I  have,  but  I  only  use  it,  as  now, 
when  I  have  occasion."  "I  wish  none  of  your 
impudence.  Orderly,  show  that  woman  out,"  and 
so  ended  the  matter.  The  lady,  being  born  a  Brit 
ish  subject,  though  long  a  resident  here,  hopes  to 
get  the  silver.  The  matter  rests  with  Mr.  Coppel, 


92       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

the  British-acting  Consul  here.  Butler  does  as 
he  pleases  with  the  Consuls  here  and  as  he  is  a 
notorious  thief,  my  private  opinion  is  that  her 
silver  may  be  put  down  in  the  family  account 
book,  but  it  should  not  be  counted  in  the  family 
exchequer. 

Mrs.  Montgomery  and  the  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Wells  spent  an  evening  with  us.  The  Judge 
says  we'll  have  peace  before  spring,  and  though 
he  is  considered  an  oracle,  I  feel  inclined  to  doubt 
him  this  time.  Mrs.  Montgomery  read  in  an 
' i  extra  "  that  her  nephew  was  wounded  at  the  late 
battle  of  Murfreesboro,  and  was  sad  in  conse 
quence.  Mrs.  Wells  has  not  heard  from  her  sweet 
daughters  since  December  4th.  They  left  Vicks- 
burg  on  account  of  the  late  attack  there  both  by 
boat  and  land.  They  are  still  near  enough  to 
hear  the  cannon  roar — I  wish  I  was.  The  girls, 
Mattie  and  Sarah,  had  had  their  tea  and  other 
delicacies  stolen.  They  had  procured  passes  for 
them  with  so  much  trouble,  too.  Mrs.  Wells  says 
that  she  is  glad  of  it,  as  they  were  always  laugh 
ing  at  her  locking-up  system;  that  has  been  the 
rock  upon  which  our  household  economies  have 
split.  It  is  so  pleasant  to  trust;  so  convenient 
to  say,  "Oh,  nobody  will  trouble  it." 

January  19th  [1863].  Mary  Waugh  spent  the 
evening;  talked  about  ghosts  and  goblins  until 
Jake,  the  little  darky,  was  afraid  to  go  to  bed. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       93 

Mrs.  Norton  said  "  nonsense  "  and  "how  can  peo 
ple  be"  so  silly !"  to  each  veracious  tale  unfolded, 
but  presently  fell  to  telling  the  most  wonderful 
spiritual  visitation  that  I  ever  heard  of,  which  had 
come  under  her  own  experience.  She  also  quoted 
the  spiritual  accidents  which  happened  in  John 
Wesley's  family — people  whom  she  could  not 
doubt,  being  a  fervent  Methodist.  These  are  the 
only  ghosts  she  believes  in ;  she  says  all  the  others 
are  "lies  and  nonsense." 

January  20th  [1863].  Wrote  letters  to-day  to 
Claude  and  Mrs.  Chilton  by  persons  going  out. 
My  heart  felt  so  like  breaking  to  feel  so  far  off 
from  all,  that  I  was  forced  to  relieve  it  by  crying 
before  I  could  go  on. 

Mr.  Hill  has  just  stopped  in.  He  says  that  the 
Yankees  will  not  hold  this  city  much  longer.  Al 
though  I  have  heard  this  so  often,  it  gives  me  a 
gleam  of  comfort  every  time  I  hear  it.  Oh,  to 
break  our  prison  bonds  here,  to  be  able  to  go 
once  more  where  and  when  we  pleased,  to  send 
comfort  to  those  who  are  sick  away  from  us  and 
to  be  able  to  write  a  letter  without  thinking  that 
some  ruffian  with  epaulettes  may  read  it,  and  per 
haps  send  an  orderly  for  us  for  not  making  it 
respectful  enough  to  our  jailers.  Just  had  an 
offer  for  Greenville  place ;  don 't  know  yet  how  it 
will  turn  out.  Mr.  Randolph  called  with  fresh 
negotiations  for  the  Greenville  place.  He  advises 


94       JOUKNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

us  not  to  sell,  as  all  property  has  been  depreciated 
by  the  war  and  that  in  a  few  years  a  house  like 
ours  with  three  acres  attached,  lying  on  the  Car- 
rollton  railroad,  will  be  very  valuable.  He  told 
us  much  war  news.  Banks  has  gone  to  Baton 
Eouge,  it  is  said,  to  quell  a  mutiny  among  the 
soldiers.  They  say  openly  here  that  they  do  not 
want  to  fight  us  and  they  will  seize  the  first  oppor 
tunity  to  be  paroled  by  being  made  prisoners. 
Others  again  hate  us,  and  preach  openly  to  the 
negroes  to  arise  and  kill  us.  Why  they  have  done 
nothing  except  rob  and  steal,  is  a  wonder.  If  they 
were  not  negroes  we  would  have  had  another 
bloody  revolution  among  us,  but  the  African  must 
shed  several  skins  and  pass  through  various 
stages  before  his  red  tide  can  mount  at  the  words, 
"Give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death. "  Almost 
daily  encounters  pass  between  white  men  and 
black,  and  the  white  man  is  always  punished. 
Colonel  French,  however,  has  issued  an  order  that 
no  negro  shall  go  out  at  night  without  a  pass  from 
his  master ;  many  arrests  have  been  made ;  even 
the  Yankee  police  hate  them,  and  have  been 
treated  so  badly  by  them  that  they  are  glad  to  rid 
the  streets  of  them.  A  white  policeman  was  beaten 
to  death  by  negro  soldiers  in  United  States  uni 
form — no  punishment  for  the  soldiers. 

January  21st  [1863].    The  registered  enemies 
went  out  to-day  by  Government  permission.    No 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       95 

man  whose  age  subjects  him  to  the  conscription 
law  in  the  Confederacy  was  allowed  to  go. 
Women  went  without  their  husbands,  hoping  that 
afterwards  they  might  be  able  to  run  the  block 
ade  ;  they  may  die  in  this  attempt ;  dread  time  of 
anxiety.  About  three  hundred  went  out,  some 
sick  and  feeble  had  to  be  carried  on  board  the 
small  steamer.  Clarke,  more  generous  than 
Butler,  allowed  a  few  provisions  to  be  taken. 
Mrs.  Ogden  has  gone  to  join  her  husband,  a  major 
at  Vicksburg.  Her  mother  had  to  be  carried — 
she  may  die  on  the  way,  for  the  United  States 
steamer  only  conducts  them  to  the  Confederate 
lines,  and  transportation  thence  may  be  difficult 
and  fatiguing.  The  poor  lady,  however,  wants  to 
see  her  son,  who  has  been  in  the  Confederate 
army  long  separated  from  her.  One  old  lady  dis 
played  the  Confederate  flag  in  her  bosom,  saying 
that  she  was  going  out  to  die  under  the  bars  and 
stars.  I  hope  further  opportunity  will  be  granted 
to  the  enemies  to  go  out,  as  Ginnie  and  myself  are 
anxious  to  go  as  soon  as  we  can.  There  is  some 
fear  expressed  here  by  the  enemies  lest  their 
friends  outside  may  take  them  for  Unionists,  be 
cause  they  do  not  go  now.  A  Mrs.  Brown  of  this 
city,  by  much  imploring,  received  permission  from 
Clarke,  the  provost  marshal,  for  her  husband  to 
accompany  her.  Clarke,  it  is  said,  is  a  really  kind 
person — we  are  sorry  that  he  is  soon  to  leave  his 


96       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

office,  for  kind  Federals  are  not  indeed  as  plenty 
as  blackberries.  The  city  papers  here  report 
the  most  dreadful  depredations  of  the  Federals 
under  Sherman  at  Prior's  Point  on  the  Missis 
sippi  river.  Our  old  friends  in  Milliken's  Bend 
have  had  an  opportunity  to  look  at  desolation  by 
the  side  of  their  own  blazing  homes.  It  makes 
me  miserable  that  men  can  do  such  deeds,  miser 
able  to  think  of  the  suffering  they  entail — more 
miserable  to  know  that  in  thousands  of  hearts  each 
day  a  hate  is  gathering  volume  and  intensity, 
which  will  live,  actuate  and  work  like  a  living 
principle.  Hatred  and  malice,  how  happy  would 
I  be  to  know  you  were  banished  from  the  world 
forever !  I  mourn  over  evil  deeds  because  I  real 
ize  so  fully  the  doctrine  of  cause  and  effect ;  each 
one  lives  and  acts  as  a  new  cause  to  other  effects. 
The  evil  doer  strengthens  the  bad  principle  within 
him ;  he  starts  it  into  life  in  another ;  these  others 
act  upon  the  new  sense  within,  and  so  make  new 
landmarks  in  their  moral  natures,  which  lead  on 
to  other  evil.  Children  inherit  what  has  grown 
into  propensities  in  their  progenitors,  and  so  the 
wave — the  blessed  wave  of  civilization  is  forever 
borne  back.  Progress  seems  the  universal  law. 
I  have  believed  so,  hoped  so,  but  we  have  leaped 
back,  as  it  seems  now,  thousands  of  dark  and 
hopeless  years. 

Our  old  friends,  the  Morancies,  the  Mahews,  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND       97 

Lowrys  and  Jacksons,  of  Milliken's  Bend,  can 
scarcely  help  hating  their  desolators;  the  young 
and  vigorous  will  act  upon  this  hate — it  will  live 
and  taint  the  moral  mind  through  generations  to 
come.  I  have  a  profound  hatred  of  vice,  but  I  love 
poor  humanity.  I  feel  almost  like  a  citizen  of  the 
world,  I  am  so  sorry  for  all  who  suffer.  Cruelty 
is  one  principle  of  the  universe  which  I  can  never 
comprehend.  That  man  should  inherit  principles 
of  the  mind,  and  that  personal  experience  should 
give  them  larger  growth  and  greater  force,  I  can 
comprehend,  but  whence  comes  the  germ  of  evil? 
I  speculate,  I  ponder  and  feel  miserable — longing 
to  help  all  men — those  who  are  obeying  the 
promptings  of  bad  natures,  as  well  as  those  who 
suffer  from  their  afflictions,  yet  feeling  the  in 
ability  to  help  myself.  Why,  I  wonder,  is  suffer 
ing  the  order  of  creation  ?  All  violation  of  natural 
law  creates  confusion  and  therefore  suffering — 
the  fire  will  burn,  the  water  will  drown — we  must 
obey  the  immutable  laws  of  nature,  or  suffer.  So 
with  the  laws  of  the  spirit,  I  think — we  may  sin 
often  through  ignorance.  Through  the  long  gen 
erations  ignorance  has  transgressed,  and  trans 
gression  has  built  up  systems,  creeds  and  actions, 
with  their  long  trains  of  consequences — desolated 
and  overthrown  man's  moral  nature.  Will  there 
come  a  blessed  time  when  man  will  be  governed  by 
love  of  virtue,  rather  than  fear  of  punishment? 


98       JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Then  only  can  there  reign  the  beauty  of  holiness. 
I  long  for  the  time  when  there  will  be  no  suffering 
to  tear  one's  heart,  no  strife  to  shock  one's  sensi 
bilities,  and  no  ignorance  of  the  wants  of  the 
spirit,  for  wants  it  has  which  the  world  cannot 
satisfy. 

Mrs.  Waugh  came  in  this  evening;  had  a 
long  talk  about  spiritualism.  It  is  comforting 
to  meet  with  one  who  trusts  and  fears  as  she  does. 
There  is  nothing  which  she  touches  with  her 
hands  more  real  and  palpable  to  her  than  the 
spirits  which  surround  her.  She  is  a  woman 
1  i  well  taught  in  the  sciences ' ' ;  she  has  a  profound 
sagacity,  is  thoroughly  practical,  a  good  linguist, 
a  good  work  woman  when  necessity  requires  it, 
a  good  neighbor,  a  good  wife  and  mother ;  she  is 
thoroughly  truthful,  yet  spiritualism  is  the  one 
comfort  of  her  life.  She  converses  upon  the  sub 
ject  with  an  ease  which  familiarity  alone  can  give, 
and  I  must  confess  her  beautiful  abstractions 
move  me.  My  heart  leaps  up  to  catch  a  ray  from 
the  light  which  she  says  is  coming.  I  feel  some 
times  almost  persuaded  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of 
some  great  change  which  will  affect  men  both 
physically  and  spiritually.  I  have  long  held  a 
notion  of  my  own  about  electricity — it  is  the  spirit, 
the  soul  of  the  world.  I  find  myself  looking,  long 
ing,  waiting  for  man's  profounder  acquaintance 
with  it.  He  knows  nothing  of  it  yet,  its  power  or 


JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND       99 

capacity.  When  my  undefined  hopes  in  their  fu 
ture  revelations  flag,  I  think  of  the  telegraph. 
One  by  one  the  mysteries  of  creation  are  un 
folded  and  man  accepts  the  benefits  with  which 
science  enriches  him,  as  matters  of  course — man 
kind  at  large,  I  mean.  Familiarity  disarms,  awes 
and,  it  seems,  silences  thought,  but  to  lonely- 
hearted  people  who  have  little  personal  hope,  but 
all  for  the  ages,  the  great  revelations  of  science 
are  but  steps  on  the  pathway  of  progress — links 
in  the  chain  which  binds  us  to  the  future  as  well 
as  to  the  past.  Science  will  save  this  world — nor 
do  I  mean  to  be  irreverent  when  I  speak.  The 
law  of  love  of  Christ  is  perfection,  but  man's 
physical  being  must  be  benefited  before  Christ's 
spirit  can  dwell  with  him.  Science  is  God's  own 
minister.  Chemistry,  Geometry,  Astronomy,  how 
I  hope  and  trust  in  them  for  they  are  but  the 
names  we  have  given  to  the  steps  of  the  compre 
hension  of  the  thoughts  of  God.  Mrs.  Waugh 
speaks  of  a  new  discovery  shortly  to  be  made  in 
electricity ;  I  find  myself  hoping  for  it,  though  it 
is  a  prediction  spiritually  uttered. 

To-day  tried  to  do  up  my  collars  and  other 
fineries — failed  and  felt  anything  but  spiritual- 
minded.  I  got  angry  with  my  irons  which  would 
smut  my  muslins,  and  then  got  angry  with  myself 
for  having  been  angry — finally  divided  the  blame, 
giving  a  part  to  Julie  Ann  for  running  away  and 


100     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

leaving  me  to  do  her  work,  and  by  her  thefts,  with 
less  money  wherewithal  to  procure  others  to  do 
for  me.  If  Julie's  condition  was  bettered,  if  she 
had  been  made  a  higher  being  by  the  sort  of  free 
dom  she  has  chosen,  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  con 
science  to  regret  her  absence ;  but  I  hear  of  her, 
she  is  a  degraded  creature,  living  a  vicious  life, 
and  we  tried  so  hard  to  make  her  good  and  hon 
est.  I  once  was  as  great  an  abolitionist  as  any 
in  the  North — that  was  when  my  unthinking  fancy 
placed  black  and  white  upon  the  same  plane.  My 
sympathies  blinded  me,  and  race  and  character 
were  undisturbed  mysteries  to  me.  But  my  ex 
perience  with  negroes  has  altered  my  way  of 
thinking  and  reasoning.  As  an  earnest  of  sin 
cerity  given  even  to  my  own  mind,  it  was  when  we 
owned  them  in  numbers  that  I  thought  they  ought 
to  be  free,  and  now  that  we  have  none,  I  think  they 
are  not  fit  for  freedom.  No  one  unacquainted  with 
negro  character  can  form  an  idea  of  its  deficien 
cies  as  well  as  its  overpluses,  if  I  may  so  express 
myself ;  it  is  the  only  race  which  labor  does  not 
degrade.  I  do  not  mean  that  there  is  degradation 
in  labor,  but  we  all  know  that  white  men  and 
women,  whose  minds  are  fettered  with  one  con 
stant  round  of  petty  pursuits,  are  very  different 
from  their  brothers  and  sisters  who  are  better 
served  by  fortune.  White  men,  left  free  from 
degrading  cares,  generally  struggle  up  to  some- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     101 

thing  higher — not  so  the  black  "man.  They  have 
no  cares  but  physical  ones  and  will  not  have  for 
generations  to  come,  if  ever.  The  free  black  man  ' 
is  scarcely  a  higher  animal,  and  not  near  so  inno 
cent  as  the  unbridled  horse.  He  has  sensation, 
but  his  sensibility  is  not  well  awakened;  he  does 
not  love  or  respect  the  social  ties.  Never  yet  have 
I  met  with  one  instance  to  prove  the  contrary. 
His  wild  instincts  are  yet  moving  his  coarse  blood ; 
he  is  servile  if  mastered,  and  brutal  if  licensed; 
he  can  never  be  taught  the  wholesome  economy 
which  pride  of  character  supports  in  a  white  man ; 
he  can  not,  either  by  force  or  persuasion,  be  im 
bued  with  a  reverence  for  truth.  What  place  is 
there  in  the  scale  of  humanity  but  one  of  subjec 
tion  for  such  a  race?  I  watch  negroes  narrowly 
in  country  and  town  experiences,  yet  never  have  I 
met  with  one  instance  which  encouraged  me  to 
think  differently. 

I  doubt  not  but  that  in  the  far  generations  they 
will  hold,  and  justly,  a  better,  higher  place.  When 
they  are  fit  for  it,  the  white  man  will  not  withhold 
it.  The  inventions  of  science  will  make  his  labor 
less  needed,  and  the  example  and  influence  of  the 
white  race,  aided  by  the  wholesome  restraints  of 
savage  passions,  will  eventually  make  him  a  new 
being.  Slavery  indeed  can  not  be  considered  a 
good  school  for  the  white  man,  but  it  should  be 
remembered  by  the  fanatic  that  we  found  these 


102     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 


people  mere  afiimals,  and  that  physically  and 
mentally  our  slaves  are  superior  to  their  African 
progenitors.  The  white  race  is  distorted  by  labor ; 
hair,  features,  complexion  and  shape — all  tell  the 
tale  of  hardship  and  labor.  Not  so  with  the  negro ; 
they  live  so  easily,  generally  speaking,  so  com 
fortably — these  creatures  whom  fanatics  are  pity 
ing,  neglectful  of  the  poor  at  their  doors,  and  for 
whose  possible  benefit  it  is  pretended  that  Federal 
soldiers  are  sent  to  die.  America  seems  perishing 
of  madness. 

Saturday.  Went  to  Sydney  Dameron's  little 
birth-night  party;  played  a  little  for  the  young 
folks  to  dance.  Met  Mrs.  Richardson,  who  has 
founded  an  asylum  for  old  women,  supported  by 
contributions  from  both  friends  and  enemy.  The 
Federals  have  seized  the  city  finances,  also  much 
private  finances,  and  as  they  pretend  to  feed  the 

poor,  Mrs.  R demanded  bread  of  Colonel 

Deming  with  a  sweet  smile  and  a  pretty  play  of 
words,  "You  are  said  to  be  the  best-bred  man 
in  the  city,  Colonel  Deming,  and  therefore  I  come 
to  you  for  bread. "  Needless  to  say  she  got  her 
bread. 

Mrs.  Richardson  was  very  anxious  that  Ginnie 
or  I  should  write  a  few  complimentary  and  re 
gretful  remarks  to  be  published  in  the  Picayune; 
subject,  "The  retirement  of  Colonel  Deming  from 
service."  I  have  never  met  the  gallant  Federal 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     103 

and  have  heard  nothing  which  could  incline  me  to 
take  such  a  step,  especially  as  she  wished  the  re 
marks  made  in  the  name  of  the  ladies  of  New 
Orleans.  Mrs.  R—  -  made  him  a  perfect  hero, 
and  to  quiet  my  objections,  said  she  thought  that 
our  rulers  here  who  had  behaved  like  gentlemen 
should  be  complimented  publicly,  as  a  sort  of  dis 
tinction  to  them,  and  an  acknowledgment  on  our 
part  that  we  can  appreciate  kind  treatment. 
Colonel  Deming  may  be  a  hero ;  his  resignation,  I 
confess,  speaks  well  for  him,  if  he  goes  back  to 
become  a  peace  advocate,  as  Mrs.  R—  -  says,  but 
I  thought  it  better  for  Mrs.  R—  -  herself  to  take 
the  responsibility  of  complimenting  him.  I  told 
her  that  personal  acquaintance  was  a  great  spur 
and  that  she  could  be  much  more  eloquent  than  I 
on  the  subject.  Mrs.  Norton  was  anxious  that  we 
should  accept  Mrs.  R—  -'s  proposal,  though  she 
hates  the  Federals,  one  and  all,  as  bad  as  we  do. 
She  seemed  to  think  it  conferred,  or  would  con 
fer,  some  sort  of  distinction  upon  us,  and  told  me 
I  was  too  squeamish,  when  I  said  that  I  could  not 
accept  another's  interpretation  of  a  man;  indeed 
this  wise  lady  seems  to  have  little  -discrimination. 
She  was  eloquent  in  praise  of  Governor  Shepley 
but  a  little  while  since,  and  as  I  have  had  several 
interviews  with  this  gentleman,  I  would  prefer  to 
have  some  one  else  dissect  character  for  me.  The 
Ogden  girls  have  been  in  town  often,  begging  us 


104     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

to  visit  them  at  Greenville,  also  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Randolph ;  so  we  have  decided  to  go  out  and  spend 
a  week. 

January  28th  [1863].  Set  off  on  the  car  which 
runs  by  Mrs.  Norton's  door;  met  Mary  Ogden  on 
the  car.  Two  "Feds"  seemed  much  interested  in 
our  talk.  They  heard  no  favorable  ideas  of  them 
selves,  though  nothing  rude,  of  course.  One  looked 
as  if  he  might  have  been  a  schoolmaster  at  home. 
These  privates,  when  they  are  Americans,  have  a 
sad  and  hopeless  look,  as  if  their  hearts  were 
aching  for  home,  as  I  have  no  doubt  they  are.  The 
Irish  and  Germans  look  very  different,  I  think; 
they  look  as  if  they  had  never  had  any  home.  I 
hear  from  all  quarters  that  these  men  do  long  for 
home ;  they  have  serious  ideas  now  that  this  war 
is  not  a  good  one,  and  not  made  for  the  Union 
either,  but  merely  to  carry  out  party  schemes  of 
party  men.  There  is  scarcely  a  day  that  I  do  not 
hear  of  instances  of  Federal  soldiers  giving  proof 
that  they  are  "rebels"  at  heart.  Four  cannon 
were  spiked  at  Annunciation  Square  not  long  ago ; 
the  ringleaders  were  stretched  out  with  cannon 
balls  attached  both  to  arms  and  feet.  One  poor 
fellow  revealed  in  a  drunken  fit  that  he  was  a 
"rebel,"  a  Davis  man;  he,  too,  was  stretched  out 
in  this  cruel  way,  and  was  kept  in  this  condition 
so  long  without  food,  and  exposed  to  such  weather, 
that  he  died.  The  ladies  living  near  Annunciation 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND     105 

Square  who  could  see  from  their  windows  what 
was  going  on,  were  so  miserable  that  for  four 
days  and  nights  they  could  not  sleep;  they  sent 
prayers  and  entreaties  for  the  sufferers,  but  to 
no  purpose.  I  suppose  it  is  because  the  mind 
cannot  realize  suffering  without  the  help  of  sight, 
that  our  sisters  of  the  North  are  using  every  wile 
to  pour  down  upon  us  their  revengeful  hordes, 
while  our  women  are  begging  that  individuals 
from  those  hordes  may  be  spared  such  cruelty. 
The  Federal  army  is  said  to  be  much  demoralized 
here.  This  demoralization  is  what  I  call  a  return 
to  reason. 
Met  Mr.  Eandolph  and  Judge  Scott  as  we 

got    off    the    car.    Mr.    R looked    so    glad 

to  see  us,  but  the  Judge,  who  is  a  misanthrope 
and  woman-hater,  looked  sour  enough  at  us.  He 
is  an  uncle  of  the  Ogden  girls  and  has  been  stay 
ing  at  Judge  0 Js  house  since  his  sons  went 

to  the  war.  Very  cold ;  Greenville 's  quiet  beauty 
quite  destroyed,  being  cut  up  by  Yankee  wagons 
and  having  thousands  of  Yankee  soldiers  en 
camped  about  her  green  lawns.  I  cannot  describe 
my  feelings  when  looking  upon  these  tents,  hear 
ing  the  drums  and  bands  of  music,  and  catching 
the  sound  of  voices  of  men  whose  avowed  purpose 
is  to  conquer  and  desolate  our  country.  They  are 
"rebels"  in  heart,  thousands  of  them;  we  have 
daily  proofs  of  this,  yet  they  are  organized  and 


106     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

drilled  and  will  fight  us,  too,  when  ordered.  We 
are  in  daily  expectation  of  the  attack  at  Vicks- 
burg  and  Port  Hudson.  We  found  the  girls  all 
well  and  got  a  real  hearty,  delightful  welcome 
from  them,  and  a  warm  and  kindly  one  from  the 
Judge.  We  found  beautiful  wood  fires  all  over 
the  house.  Coal  is  high  and  scarce,  and  the  Judge 
is  clearing  a  piece  of  land  that  he  may  plant  it  in 
oranges  when  the  Yankees  leave.  The  beautiful 
oaks  and  pecans !  I  feel  sorry  to  see  them  going. 
We  see  the  railroad  from  the  windows  and  bal 
cony,  constantly  spotted  with  Yankee  soldiers  and 
runaway  contrabands  in  Yankee  service.  Went 
in  the  afternoon  to  see  the  Randolphs,  who  live 
just  across  the  street  in  our  house.  It  seems  so 
strange  to  be  visiting  Greenville,  and  looking 
across  the  way  to  the  garden  and  house,  once  a 
daily  and  familiar  sight.  We  stayed  to  tea  with 
Mrs.  Randolph;  found  there  her  sister-in-law. 
We  had  a  hearty  welcome  here,  too,  and  as  Lizzie 
and  Mary  were  with  us  we  had  quite  a  circle  of 
friends.  During  the  evening  I  was  struck  with 
the  force  of  the  old  saying  that  "appearances  are 
often  deceptive" :  We  had  been  seated  but  half  an 
hour  when  a  neighbor  of  Mr.  Randolph's  came  in. 
He  looked  so  plain  and  ordinary  that  I  gave  a  sort 
of  inward  groan  at  the  probability  of  his  taking 
his  seat  near  me  and  prolonging  his  visit.  He  had 
scarcely  seated  himself  before  he  said  something 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     107 

witty,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  had  the  whole 
talk  to  himself  and  we  were  either  convulsed  with 
laughter  or  moved  with  strange  sympathies  for 
the  rest  of  the  evening.  He  spouted  plays,  acted 
them,  sang  operas  and  sweet  old  ballads  in  end 
less  succession  and  managed  to  take  his  tea  and 
cake  standing  on  the  hearth  while  carrying  on  a 
dialogue,  his  own  tongue  doing  service  for  two. 
I  have  not  laughed  so  much  since  the  war  began. 
Mr.  Haines  is  the  gentleman 's  name — middle-aged 
and  with  a  wife  and  grown-up  children.  His  face 
in  repose  is  both  heavy  and  sad-looking.  Mr. 
Randolph  told  us  that  he  was  in  the  car  one  day 
when  this  Mr.  Haines  had  been  indulging  in  some 
rather  piquant  secession  talk,  not  knowing  that  a 
Federal  was  in  company — they  make  a  business 
of  traveling  in  citizens'  clothes,  acting  as  spies — 
at  least  they  did  while  Butler  was  here.  Mr. 
Haines  was  suddenly  arrested  in  his  talk  by  a  cry 
of  "I  forbid  you  to  speak  in  that  way;  stop  in 
stantly."  It  was  considered  as  much  as  his  life, 
or  rather  liberty,  was  worth  to  make  answer  to 
this  prohibition,  and  Mr.  Haines 's  friends  felt 
rather  anxious  upon  his  turning  to  the  Federal 
and  calmly  demanding  of  him,  "What  do  you 
mean?"  "I  mean,"  said  the  Federal,  "to  pre 
vent  your  talking  against  the  government  of  the 

United  States;    I  arrest  you,  sir."     Mr.  H • 

rose  deliberately,  and  doubling  up  his  right  hand, 


108     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

said  coolly,  " Touch  me  at  your  peril;  lay  but  a 
hand  upon  me  and  I'll  throttle  you  until  you  can't 
speak."  Having  delivered  himself  in  this  style, 
he  sat  down  and  the  Federal  wisely  did  the  same 
thing,  offering  not  another  word.  Such  stuff  are 
these  Butler  minions  made  of. 

Mr.  Haines's  garden  fence  was  all  carried  off 
by  the  Massachusetts  regiment  during  his  absence 
from  home;  his  wife  talked  to  the  soldiers  in 
vain,  imploring  that  her  fruits  and  flowers  should 
not  thus  be  turned  out  on  the  common  at  a  mo 
ment's  notice.  Mr.  H ,  upon  hearing  this,  pro 
ceeded  at  once  to  camp,  inquiring  for  each  officer, 
in  succession,  of  the  Massachusetts  regiment.  He 
borrowed  a  sword  of  an  orderly,  or  some  such  per 
sonage,  so  that  the  fence  could  be  made  a  personal 
matter  with  the  officer  who  had  ordered  its  de 
struction.  The  officers  were  all  absent,  or  so  re 
ported,  and  strange  to  say,  are  always  absent 
when  Mr.  Haines  calls.  "It  remained  for  the 
Massachusetts  regiment  to  perform  such  a  petty 

piece  of  villainy,"  said  Mr.  H to  the  soldier 

on  guard.  "Military  necessity,"  answered  the 
guard.  "You  might  have  had  the  military  polite 
ness  to  have  told  me  you  wanted  it ;  I  would  have 
bought  you  wood  rather  than  had  my  fence  de 
stroyed.  I  intend*  to  follow  this  matter  up.  I  will 
find  the  officer  guilty  of  the  order  and  get  satis 
faction  from  him,  or  carry  the  matter  to  Banks. 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     109 

He  has  promised  to  protect  us  who  are  quiet,  non- 
fighting  men,  and  he  shall  protect  me  or  give  me  a 
passport  into  a  government  that  will."  A  guard 
was  sent  forthwith  to  protect  Mr.  Haines's  gar 
den.  Night  and  day,  in  sun  and  rain,  the  poor 
Federal  privates  stand  to  keep  watch,  thus  doing 
picket  service  in  real  earnest.  We  came  home 
from  Mr.  Randolph 's  and  found  the  two  Judges  in 
the  parlor,  reviewed  our  evening  for  their  benefit, 
and  parted  for  the  night.  We  had  our  tea  after 
we  had  undressed,  around  a  bright  wood  fire ;  the 
girls  sat  with  us  and  took  their  tea  in  our  room. 
I  told  them  how  glad  I  was  to  see  the  dear  blaze  ; 
it  was  a  touch  of  the  country  and  a  gleam  from 
the  dear  old  times.  Didn't  sleep  one  wink  all 
night.  The  Judge  said  "tea  at  bed- time,"  but 
I  knew  better;  I  knew  of  the  thousand  thoughts 
that  flitted  through  my  brain.  The  girls  met  us 
with  kisses  of  welcome  in  the  morning.  Ginnie 
was  not  allowed  to  get  up,  though  breakfast  was 
late.  The  Judge  sent  us  word  that  this  was 
liberty  hall  and  that  we  could  sleep  when  we 
liked  and  breakfast  when  we  liked;  that  he  had 
little  to  offer  us  these  war  times  but  a  welcome 
and  a  carte  blanche  to  do  as  we  pleased.  Got  up 
near  dinner  time;  still  no  sleep.  Mary,  who  is 
housekeeper  this  week,  had  a  nice  warm  breakfast 
for  us,  and  I  felt  ashamed  of  the  trouble  we  had 
given.  There  were  fourteen  servants  about  the 


110     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

house,  almost  idle,  of  course,  there  being  nothing 
for  them  to  do  since  the  Federals  came.  They 
stay  with  their  master,  the  kindest  and  most  in 
dulgent  in  the  world,  merely  to  be  supported — 
giving  out  speeches  from  time  to  time,  which 
prove  to  my  mind,  at  least,  that  they  will  leave 
him  when  it  suits  them.  Marcia  and  Charlotte, 
though,  I  believe,  are  really  attached  to  their 
master  and  his  children.  The  Judge  got  a  letter 
from  his  son  Billy  from  Fredericksburg,  the  first 
since  last  summer.  He  is  in  Claude's  old  regi 
ment,  the  7th  Louisiana  Crescent.  This  family 
seem  to  love  each  other  very  dearly ;  the  devotion 
of  the  girls  to  their  father  and  brother  is  very 
touching,  I  think,  and  it  does  my  heart  good  to 
see  it.  To  their  uncle  Walter,  the  misanthropic 
Judge,  they  are  kind  and  tender;  he  seems  at 
least  attached  to  this  much  of  womankind,  his 
nieces. 

We  took  a  walk  with  the  Randolphs  and 
Harrisons  to  the  river;  got  our  feet  wet,  being 
silly  enough  to  go  in  thin  shoes.  I  took  cold  and 
Ginnie  was  made  quite  sick.  Had  invitation  to 
dine  with  the  Harrisons;  much  debating  among 
the  girls  whether  or  not  they  should  go  with  us, 
a  coolness  having  grown  up  between  these  two 
pleasant  households,  owing  entirely  to  the  present 
war.  The  Harrisons  are  lately  from  Kentucky, 
and  as  they  can  not  look  upon  Louisiana  as  their 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     111 

home  just  yet,  and  as  Kentucky's  action  has  been 
much  censured  during  this  war,  a  great  deal  has 
been  taken  unkindly  on  both  sides,  which  has 
never  been  meant  by  either.  These  girls  were 
intimate  before  the  war,  and  would  be  again,  if 
these  sympathetic  strings  were  not  constantly 
jarred  upon  by  the  exciting  topics  of  the  day.  It 
is  hard  to  keep  the  equilibrium  either  of  mind  or 
nerve  nowadays,  such  opposite  and  warm  opin 
ions  are  held  and  discussed.  We,  as  usual,  have 
tried  to  play  peace-makers;  people  of  this  sort 
are  hardly  ever  done  justice  to — both  sides  find 
fault,  but  in  this  case  I  think  both  families  appre 
ciate  our  intentions.  Jule  could  not  be  induced 
to  go  with  us;  Ella  had  insulted  her,  she  says. 
Jule  is  young  and  so  is  Ella,  and  so  matters  must 
rest  until  both  grow  older.  Mary,  too,  declined  to 
go — she  is  literal  and  therefore  not  apt  to  fancy 
herself  deceived  in  a  matter  of  this  sort.  She  is 
too  kind-hearted  ever  to  have  wished  to  wound, 
and  therefore  feels  sure  that  she  has  never  done 
so,  but  then  she  feels  so  sincerely  that  she  can  not 
simulate  old  feelings  when  they  have  been  in 
jured  or  passed  away.  I  saw  she  would  not  like 
to  go,  and  so  did  not  ask — at  the  same  time  I  felt 
that  a  refusal  in  toto  would  look  very  pointed  and 
probably  make  an  everlasting  breach. 

I  didn  't  think  it  wrong  to  advise  Lizzie,  who  is 
gentler,  less  positive  in  her  feelings  than  either 


112     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

her  elder  or  younger  sister,  to  go  with  us.    The 

girls  all  love  Mrs.  H .     She  is  indeed  the 

sweetest,  gentlest  and  saddest  of  women.  Mr. 
Harrison  and  the  Judge  brought  news  that  six 
more  States  are  reported  put  of  the  Union.  Mat 
ters  have  not  proceeded  so  far,  I  think,  but  it  is 
evident  from  the  speeches  made  in  the  North  at 
opposition  meetings  that  some  terrible  judgment 
is  in  store  for  the  wicked  abolition  Government. 
The  North  has  broken  her  bonds  at  last.  No  more 
shall  men  be  dragged  to  bondage  without  accusa 
tion  or  trial,  as  in  the  two  years  past.  I  have 
waited  with  anxious  longing  for  this  reaction;  I 
have  always  felt  that  the  war  was  not  carried  on 
by  the  people  at  large.  The  abolitionists  are  the 
Jacobins  of  America.  They  have  not  shown  any 
kindness  to  the  poor  negroes,  either ;  they  die  by 
hundreds  from  disease  engendered  by  unaccus 
tomed  hardships  and  exposure,  also  starvation. 
The  suburbs  and  odd  places  in  and  about  this  city 
are  crowded  with  a  class  never  seen  until  the  Fed 
erals  came  here — a  class  whose  only  support  is 
theft  and  whose  only  occupation  is  strolling  the 
streets,  insulting  white  people,  and  living  in  the 
sun.  This  is  really  the  negro  idea  of  liberty.  I 
speculate  over  the  evils  which  I  see  and  those 
which  I  fear,  and  often  wish  that  I  was  some 
merry-hearted,  careless  girl  who  sees  nothing. 


ELLIX  XORTH  MOALE 

First    white    child    born    in    Baltimore 
Great-great   aunt    by   marriage   of   Julia   Leflrand 


III. 

FEBRUARY  3— FEBRUARY  28,  1863. 

February  3rd  [1863].  Read  in  the  back  parlor 
at  Judge  Ogden's  the  last  speech  of  Valanding- 
ham,  to  Ginnie  and  the  girls;  we  were  all  pro 
foundly  affected.  There  is  something  in  this 
man's  eloquence  which  stirs  the  depths  of  my 
nature.  This  magnificent  address,  strong,  argu 
mentative,  forcible  and  earnest,  seemed  to  me  the 
wail  of  a  great  and  good  spirit  over  a  lost  nation 
ality  and  a  dissevered  country.  To  think  of  a 
people  choosing  Lincoln  for  a  supreme  ruler  with 
a  man  like  this  among  them.  Witnessed  a  march 
of  the  Federals  into  the  city ;  some  thousands.  I 
never  have  seen  so  many  men  together  before. 
Crowds  have  always  awed  and  excited  me,  thrilled 
me  with  sensations  strange  and  indefinable,  but 
these  soldiers — our  professed  enemies — moving 
with  solemn  countenances  and  measured  tread, 
with  starry  banners  floating  and,  what  was  once, 
our  national  music  playing,  filled  me  with  a  sort 
of  excited  melancholy  never  felt  before.  Images 
of  the  many  fields  wet  with  the  blood  of  brothers, 
in  which  the  stars  and  stripes  and  our  own  stars 
and  bars  had  met  in  angry  strife  and  floated  in 
pride,  then  sunk  in  blood,  mingled  with  thoughts 

113 


114     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

of  all  that  these  people  had  still  to  do.  How  many 
mothers  are  to  be  made  desolate  by  this  war.  It 
seems  to  me  to  be  very  hard  to  be  so  very  near 
soldiers  and  not  be  able  to  respond  to  their  cheers 
or  to  shake  the  hand  of  even  one,  or  to  say,  God 
speed  you!  These  people  have  the  old  camping 
ground  of  our  Confederate  soldiers,  then  called 
1 1  Camp  Lewis, ' '  now  camp  Weitzel,  in  compliment 
to  that  Dutch-American  who  commands  them. 
Saw  to-day  that  Magruder's  camp  of  instruction 
is  at  Hampstead,  in  Texas,  where  sister  lives; 
read  several  very  romantic  incidents  of  the  attack 
at  Galveston.  Captain  Wainwright's  little  son, 
only  ten  years  old,  fought  over  the  body  of  his 
dead  father.  Two  brothers  met  and  one  answering 
the  cry  of  " Yield  or  I  kill  you,"  said,  "You  had 
better  look  at  me,  Joe,  before  you  fire. ' '  A  gentle 
man  named  Lea,  who  was  of  the  boarding  party, 
killed  his  own  son;  his  grief  upon  this  discovery 
was  terrible  to  witness.  A  Mr.  Holland,  too,  of 
the  boarding  party,  was  met  by  Captain  Wain- 
wright  for  the  first  time  since  he  had  entertained 
him  as  a  friend  in  London.  Such  things  forbid 
comment.  Ah,  cruel  civil  war !  On  returning  late, 
after  spending  the  evening  at  the  Randolphs, 
Judge  Scott  read  an  ' '  extra ' '  brought  from  town ; 
the  blockade  at  Charleston  is  removed  by  a  bold 
Confederate  attack;  the  Mercidita  and  Quaker 
City  sunk,  not  a  Federal  vessel  in  sight.  Great  re- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     115 

joicing  at  Charleston;  foreign  consuls  informed. 
Ah,  peace,  is  it  really  coming  in  the — no,  not  the 
distance — she  must  be  near.  Charleston  claims 
open  port  for  sixty  days.  We  laughed  to-day  at 
an  officer's  caper;  Mrs.  Harrison  sent  Ginnie 
some  nice  things  for  lunch ;  an  officer  strolling  on 
the  railroad  told  the  boy  Andrew  that  he  was 
there  to  inspect  all  covered  dishes.  After  looking 
within  and  asking  questions,  he  gave  his  royal 
permission  to  the  proceeding.  "Oh,"  said  he, 
"as  it  is  for  a  sick  lady,  you  may  take  it  to  her." 
Mrs.  Norton  sent  Mary  Jane  out  for  us  with  a 
note,  asking  us  to  come  back.  The  girls  said  she 
made  our  passport  an  excuse  for  getting  us  home 
again,  as  she  is  lonely.  She  sent  because  an  order 
in  the  Yankee  Delta  made  known  to  us  that  those 
"enemies"  who  wished  for  passports  and  had 
registered,  should  come  in  person  to  receive  them. 
Sent  her  word  that  we  would  come. 

Next  morning  Ginnie  was  sick,  too  sick  to 
get  up,  so  I  rose  early  and  wrote  a  few 
lines  to  Colonel  Clarke,  stating  facts;  also 
wrote  a  few  to  Mr.  Randolph,  claiming  the 
fulfillment  of  a  promise  to  us  that  he  would 
serve  us  under  all  circumstances.  He  came  over 
directly  after  breakfast  to  tell  me  how  glad  he 
was  that  we  had  called  on  him  at  last,  and  that 
he  would  deliver  our  note  to  some  of  our  rulers 
and  extort  a  passport  if  possible.  I  thanked  him 


116     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

in  earnest,  for  it  is  really  something  to  ask.  The 
Federal  rulers  here  are  less  accessible  than  the 
most  august  of  sovereigns,  and  even  if  one  is  ad 
mitted  they  send  him  from  one  to  another  until 
his  patience  is  worn  out,  each  official  seeming  to 
emulate  the  last  in  rude  behavior — with  the  single 
exception  of  Colonel  Clarke,  who  has  been  dis 
missed  from  office,  having  shown  what  the  Yan 
kees  here  term  "secesh"  tendencies.  He  is  a 
gentleman  and  Ginnie  says  a  most  sorrowful  one. 
Before  we  went  to  Greenville,  Mrs.  Norton,  Ginnie 
and  Mrs.  Darner  on  went  to  the  city  hall — found 
there  a  great  crowd  through  which  they  had  to 
wedge  their  way.  A  young  official  made  his  ap 
pearance  and  after  roughly  demanding  what  their 
business  was,  was  answered  curtly  by  Mrs. 
Norton :  "  I  don 't  intend  to  tell  you  my  business, ' ' 
said  she;  "I  will  go  to  headquarters/'  She  makes 
a  point  of  always  speaking  in  this  way  and  cannot 
be  persuaded  that  she  gives  them  great  advantage 
over  her.  "Well,  madam, "  returned  the  young 
man,  "I  don't  want  to  know  your  business,  and  if 
you  can't  tell  it,  just  step  back  until  others  are 
served  who  can."  Mrs.  Dameron  blushed  and 
said,  "Ah,  why  will  Ma  put  herself  in  a  position 
to  be  insulted?"  Ginnie  and  she  got  out  of  the 
way  as  fast  as  possible,  and  Mrs.  Norton  was  so 
innocent  about  it  that  she  didn't  know  what  they 
meant  by  feeling  abashed.  Colonel  French  sat 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     117 

with  his  feet  in  the  air,  answered  almost  rudely 
when  spoken  to,  and  gave  them  no  satisfaction. 
Colonel  Clarke,  though  out  of  office  that  very  day 
and  to  be  succeeded  by  a  creature  called  Colonel 
Bowgen,  did  all  he  could  toward  granting  their 
requests.  Mrs.  Norton  and  Ginnie  got  arrest 
papers  for  servants,  also  registered  for  passports. 
Colonel  Bowgen  watched  Colonel  Clarke  sharply, 
fearing,  Ginnie  said,  that  he  might  do  or  promise 
something  kind.  ' '  Colonel  Clarke  has  a  soft  spot 
in  his  heart,  ' '  he  significantly  remarked.  For  this 
soft  spot  he  has  been  dismissed  from  office;  he 
goes  out  to  the  verge  of  "rebeldom,"  however, 
with  all  exchanged  prisoners  and  enemies  when 
ever  they  are  sent,  and  is  always  so  kind,  so  truly 
generous  that  many  are  attached  to  him.  One 
lady  who  had  smuggled  a  Confederate  flag  felt 
compunctious  after  receiving  so  much  kindness, 
and  brought  it  out  to  the  Colonel.  He  had  not 
permitted  either  their  trunks  or  persons  to  be 
searched.  She  waved  her  little  flag  and  said 
that  she  loved  it  and  asked  his  permission  to  carry 
it  over  the  lines;  "Oh,  yes,"  said  he,  "take  it;  I 
don't  think  it  will  cause  the  death  of  any  of  us." 
The  trip  to  the  lines  that  time  was  a  delightful 
one,  both  to  the  ladies  and  Colonel  Clarke,  and 
upon  the  arrival  of  the  boat  at  Madisonville,  two 
hundred  Confederate  soldiers  marched  down  to 
meet  the  ladies. 


118     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Oh !  such  a  time !  such  a  joyful  meeting !  Our 
soldiers  went  on  board  and  had  quite  a  "jollifica 
tion,"  it  is  said,  and  were  kindly  entertained  by 
the  Federal  officers.  This  was  as  it  should  be,  but 
things  will  never  be  conducted  in  that  way  again. 
The  last  time  the  enemies  went  out,  Colonel 
Clarke  went  with  them,  indeed,  but  he  could  do 
nothing  which  he  wished.  On  being  appealed  to 
by  a  lady,  he  said,  "Ah,  madam,  there  is  a  new 
ruler  in  Jerusalem. ' '  On  this  occasion  the  ladies ' 
trunks  were  searched,  also  their  persons,  with 
two  exceptions.  A  little  contraband  quinine  was 
found  and  we  were  all  glad  to  hear  that  one  of  the 
infamous  women  badly  cut  her  hand  whilst  rip 
ping  up  a  lady 's  sleeve  to  look  for  it.  Even  babies 
were  searched  and  left  shivering  in  the  cold  with 
out  their  clothes.  Flannels  were  taken  from  all, 
and  a  little  bag  of  flour  which  a  very  poor  woman, 
who  was  going  out  to  meet  her  husband,  had  taken 
to  thicken  her  baby's  milk,  was  cruelly  thrown  into 
water.  Is  it  possible  that  we  can  ever  take  the 
Yankees  by  the  hand  again !  To  me  the  very  sight 
of  them  is  disgusting  after  hearing  of  their 
enormities. 

Mr.  Randolph  got  our  passports  after  waiting 
hours;  he  was  treated  roughly  at  first,  but  upon 
speaking  firmly  and  politely,  they  changed  tone. 
He  was  even  told  to  come  back  again  if  he  needed 
more  trunks  than  those  allowed  us.  In  the  pass- 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     119 

ports  we  are  numbered,  not  named.  We  have 
since  had  a  note  from  a  friend,  beginning,  "Dear 
No.  46." 

With  another  dinner  at  the  Harrisons  and  an 
other  tea  at  the  Randolphs,  our  visit  to  Greenville 
closed.  The  girls  would  not  give  us  up  and  per 
suaded  us  day  after  day  to  stay,  but  Mrs.  Norton 
came  after  us  herself  on  Sunday,  the  8th  of  Feb 
ruary.  We  came  in  on  the  cars  quite  late,  so  late 
that  the  Judge  and  Mr.  R—  -  both  went  with  us 
to  the  station  and  would  have  proceeded  to  town, 
but  we  would  only  consent  to  accept  the  company 
of  one. 

February  9th  [1863],  Reported  seizure  of  the 
arsenal  by  Governor  Seymour,  of  New  York. 
Probable  seizure  of  Lincoln.  I  don 't  believe  these 
reports.  The  old  Democratic  party  is  indeed 
aroused,  but  it  is  a  law-abiding  party,  and  I  do 
not  think  we  can  expect  of  it  any  violent  proceed 
ings.  They  are  disgusted  with  Lincoln,  but  they 
helped  to  elect  him  and  must  tolerate  him.  Banks 
has  been  warned  by  his  Government  that  he  is  to 
be  lenient  to  us.  He  has  done  nothing  for  us,  but 
he  has  committed  none  of  Butler 's  enormities.  He 
does  not  give  up  seized  houses,  but  they  say  rent 
is  to  be  given  by  those  occupied  by  Government 
officers;  however,  nobody  expects  the  payment. 
He  does  not  encourage  tale-bearing  of  negroes, 
and  has  had  no  one  arrested  for  opinion's  sake, 


120     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

but  lie  has  had  none  of  the  innocent,  imprisoned 
by  Butler,  released.  I  have  heard  that  he  speaks 
often  unkindly  to  ladies  who  go  to  him  begging 
for  their  husbands  or  friends  to  be  released.  "My 
husband  will  die,  sir,  his  health  is  so  bad,  and  my 
relative  has  lost  his  mind  in  confinement,"  said 
one  lady  to  him.  "We  must  all  die,  madam,"  he 
returned;  "prison  life  affects  men  differently; 
some  lose  their  minds  and  some  die ;  this  we  can 
not  help."  Poor  Mrs.  Harrison  has  been  weary 
ing  herself  for  months  in  behalf  of  her  husband 
who  has  been  confined  in  the  Custom  House  with 
out  comforts  and  with  many  others  in  the  same 
room — offence,  as  far  as  it  can  be  made  out, 
trying  to  save  the  property  of  a  "rebel"  friend, 
Captain  Dameron,  formerly  a  Confederate  Guard. 
The  three  Episcopal  ministers,  Mr.  Fulton,  Mr. 
Goodrich,  and  Doctor  Leacock,  arrived  here  last 
week.  They  were  sent  off  by  Butler  for  not  pray 
ing  for  the  President  of  the  United  States.  They 
were  well  received  in  New  York  by  people  of 
secession  tendencies  there;  were  treated  with 
great  kindness  and  were  invited  to  preach  in  the 
churches.  All  reasonable  people,  all  indeed,  ex 
cept  fanatics,  cried  "Shame!"  on  the  treatment 
these  divines  had  received  in  New  Orleans.  Banks 
having  arrived  here  and  there  being  no  proba 
bility  of  Butler's  return,  these  three  ministers 
have  ventured  hither. 


I 

JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     121 

They  were  not  allowed  to  land  because  they 
had  not  taken,  and  would  not  take,  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  United  States  Government.  This 
proceeding  caused  great  excitement  and  many 
persons  have  visited  the  boat,  the  Cromwell,  in 
which  they  are  imprisoned.  They  were  trans 
ferred  to  the  McClellan  and  reshipped  to  New 
York  after  being  refused  even  one  visit  to  their 
homes,  or  a  simple  walk  on  the  shore  they  loved 
so  well.  No  Episcopal  minister  dishonored  him 
self  here  by  taking  the  oath  to  a  Government  he 
had  abjured.  Seven  resisted,  though  these  three 
only  were  sent  off.  If  Butler  had  remained,  others 
would  have  suffered,  as  they  had  been  ordered  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness.  Last  summer  when 
they  were  first  threatened  and  the  excitement  of 
the  people  on  the  subject  was  discussed,  I  could 
not  help  thinking  of  the  trial  of  the  "  Seven 
Bishops " — "the  Seven  Candlesticks."  How 
history  repeats  itself  in  spite  of  the  progression  of 
our  race.  Sarah  Erwin,  now  Mrs.  Doctor  Glen, 
was  in  Doctor  Goodrich 's  church  last  fall  when 
Colonel  Strong  dispersed  the  congregation. 
Never  had  she  thought  to  witness  such  a  scene. 
Before  the  time  had  come  for  praying  for  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  or  the  time  for 
the  omission  rather,  Colonel  Strong,  who  had 
been  mistaken  by  the  congregation  for  one  of  our 
own  people,  arose  and  whispered  something  in 


122     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Mr.  Goodrich 's  ear.  Colonel  Strong,  Butler's 
agent,  was  very  pale  and  much  excited,  and  as  he 
was  wrapped  in  a  cloak  which  covered  his  mili 
tary  dress  he  was  thought  some  mourner  who  had 
requested  the  prayers  of  the  minister.  He  had 
appeared  so  nervous  and  so  depressed  and  so 
deathly  pale  that  he  had  excited  the  sympathy  of 
the  people;  great  was  the  surprise,  therefore, 
when  he  arose  and  in  the  name  of  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  forbade  the  ceremonies  of  the 
church  to  proceed,  and  ordered  the  congregation 
to  disperse. 

There  was  an  immediate  uprising  of  the  people 
and  a  rush  to  the  pulpit;  the  first  thought  was 
that  Doctor  Goodrich  was  in  danger.  No  one  was 
safe  from  arrest  in  Butler's  time.  Women  wept 
and  men  muttered  and  I  am  told  that  even  oaths 
were  heard;  some  women  who  had  always  been 
considered  timid  and  gentle,  openly  defied  Strong 
and  denounced  him  to  his  face.  Strong  threw  off 
his  cloak  and  this  gave  a  full  view  not  only  of  his 
elaborately  wrought  regimentals,  but  also  of  a 
goodly  show  of  side  arms.  The  sight  of  glistening 
steel  and  pistols  in  that  peaceful  assembly  neither 
calmed  nor  awed  it.  Many  became  infuriated 
and  women  especially  clustered  around  Strong 
to  his  evident  fear.  One  old  lady  called  down  a 
curse  upon  him  and  all  he  held  dear.  All  thought 
it  a  proper  place,  perhaps,  in  which  to  open 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     123 

those  vials  of  wrath,  the  existence  of  which  the 
church  warrants.  Pale  but  firm,  Doctor  Goodrich 
asked  permission  at  least  to  give  his  blessing  to  the 
congregation.  "No,"  cried  the  brute  Strong,  "I 
f orbit  it."  "My  people,"  returned  Doctor  Good 
rich,  "shall  not  depart  without  my  benediction." 
He  then  made  a  few  remarks  that  filled  the  build 
ing  with  hysterical  sobs.  After  the  people  had 
left  church,  they  were  again  ordered  to  disperse, 
and  at  the  very  door  a  Federal  asked  of  Colonel 
Strong  permission  to  send  for  the  artillery.  '  '  You 
had  better  order  up  a  gunboat,  sir,  as  that  seems 
to  be  your  only  safeguard,"  returned  an  excited 
young  woman,  said  to  be  a  Jewess.  An  old  lady 
made  protest  by  saying  that  she  had  as  good  a 
right  as  Butler  himself  to  stand  upon  the  ban 
quette  and  that  she  would  return  home  in  her  own 
time.  It  was  the  most  disgraceful  scene.  It  is 
said  that  Butler  was  gazing  with  the  aid  of  a  glass 
from  his  own  window;  he  had  not  then  stolen 
Mrs.  Campbell's  house  and  was  residing  in 
General  Twiggs',  and  was  reported  to  have  been 
highly  amused,  but  his  adjutant,  Colonel  Strong, 
remarked  that  he  would  rather  go  to  battle  than 
to  go  through  the  same  excitement  again.  Doctor 
Goodrich  was  arrested  some  time  after  this  event 
and  has  been  in  New  York  some  months.  When 
he  will  be  able  to  return  to  his  anxious  wife  after 
this  second  exile,  Heaven  only  knows.  Mrs.  Good- 


124     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

rich  is  supported  by  contributions  from  her  hus 
band's  flock;  they  are  not  able  to  do  as  much  as 
they  wish  for  her  as  all  fortunes  are  in  a  state  of 
ruin  now.  Servants  have  run  or  have  been  taken 
away  from  plantations,  houses  burned,  banks 
robbed,  and  all  business  suspended;  lawyers  can 
not  practice  and  no  one  can  sell  a  piece  of  prop 
erty  without  first  having  taken  the  oath  to  the 
United  States  Government. 

Some  time  ago  there  was  a  report  here 
that  the  Alabama,  or  290,  after  destroying  the 
United  States  steamer  Hatteras  had  appeared 
at  the  mouth  of  this  river;  that  pilots  had 
gone  on  board  of  her  and  that  Captain 
Semmes  had  sent  by  them  a  challenge  to 
Farragut  to  come  down  in  his  flagship  and  fight 
him.  It  is  believed,  and  the  pilots  were  said  to 
have  been  imprisoned  upon  their  return  because 
they  had  taken  the  oath  to  the  Confederacy  on 
board  the  290.  Farragut  did  not  go,  but  the 
Mississippi  was  sent  down  in  great  haste  under 
some  other  pretense.  It  was  said  that  the  Oreta 
or  Florida,  Captain  Maffet,  was  also  at  the  Balize. 
Those  taken  prisoner  by  these  two  Captains  re 
port  them  gentlemen ;  they  treat  their  captives  in 
a  different  manner  to  that  in  which  the  Yankees 
treat  ours.  Captain  Maffet  is  a  small,  slight  man, 
very  timid,  blushes  like  a  girl  when  he  attracts 
notice,  looks  like  a  poet,  and  is,  from  the  pris- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     125 

oners'  report,  a  gentleman,  every  inch  of  him. 
Mr.  Fulton  has  had  a  call  to  a  church  at  Snow 
Hill,  Md. ;  he  has  been  told  that  he  need  not  pray 
for  the  President  of  the  United  States  there ; 
don't  know  that  he  will  accept  it,  has  no  support. 
Our  churches  here  are  open,  but  I  have  not  at 
tended  ;  our  regular  ministers  do  not  officiate.  In 
our  little  Calvary  church  Mr.  Lyons  reads  a  writ 
ten  sermon  and  goes  through  the  service.  Rose 
Wilkinson  attempted  to  play  the  melodeon  and 
attended  three  or  four  singing  meetings  for  that 
purpose,  but  Mr.  Payne,  a  pompous  Englishman, 
who  has  made  a  great  deal  of  money  here,  was 
so  rude  on  account  of  a  few  mistakes,  which  were 
the  consequence  of  her  timidity,  that  she  declined 
going  any  more.  Mr.  Tucker,  one  of  our  gentle 
men,  whose  ear  is  quite  as  good,  bore  with  her 
kindly  and  politely.  Mr.  Payne  has  since  had  al 
most  a  contention  with  a  Mrs.  Hedges,  a  Scotch 
lady,  who  has  taken  Rosa 's  place ;  she  sings  songs 
and  ballads  sweetly  and  with  much  taste,  but  does 
not  sing  church  music  correctly,  they  say.  Mr. 
Payne  says  so.  He  doesn't  look  as  though  he  had 
an  ear,  it  was  a  great  mistake  in  nature  to  have 
given  him  one.  I  should  like  to  tell  how  disagree 
able  and  pompous  he  is;  if  he  were  not  rich  he 
would  be  afraid  to  express  an  opinion,  so  I  think 
of  him. 
February  16th  [1863].  To-night  read  aloud 


126     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Cox's  speech  to  Ginnie  and  Mrs.  Norton,  Cox  of 
Ohio — though  I  was  inwardly  grieved  at  the  posi 
tion  of  these  people  and  consequent  misery  to  so 
many  innocent  ones,  I  could  tfot  help  laughing  at 
this  speech  and  the  frequent  interruptions  and 
cries  it  met  with,  especially  when  Butler  was  in 
troduced.  I  am  glad  that  creature  seems  to  meet 
with  general  hatred,  though  in  Boston  those 
fanatics  got  up  a  sort  of  pretended  welcome  to 
him.  He,  having  heard  that  the  fanatics  were 
about  to  turn  off  all  generals  not  of  the  same  poli 
tics  as  themselves,  made  haste  to  change  his ;  he 
once  pretended  to  be  a  Democrat,  but  he  has 
joined  the  Abolitionists,  and  gives  as  excuse  that 
he  was  made  one  in  New  Orleans.  He  tells  in 
his  speech  to  the  people  a  thousand  stories  of  the 
social  life  here  to  justify  his  treatment  of  the 
people.  The  negroes  plied  him  well  with  false 
hoods  when  he  was  here,  and  he  took  off  (stole) 
three  or  four  negroes  and  his  wife  did  the  same, 
when  they  left  here — though  to  the  world  his 
"order"  forbidding  this  proceeding  still  stands. 
That  order  never  was  intended  to  be  obeyed;  it 
never  restrained  anyone — ship-loads  of  negroes 
belonging  to  citizens  here  have  been  carried  off 
by  Federals. 

Cox's  speech  dissects  the  Puritan  and  Yankee 
character  to  the  core ;  I  do  believe  that  it  repre 
sents  it  truly.  They  are  cold,  hard,  unscrupulous, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     127 

persevering  meddlers,  and  should  live  by  them 
selves  and  never  have  a  voice  in  any  government 
intended  for  other  people;  they  have  given 
trouble  wherever  they  have  lived ;  their  vanity  and 
egotism  are  supreme;  they  are  the  cause  of  this 
war  of  brothers;  and  others,  inflamed  by  their 
bearing-down  qualities  and  eloquence,  have  given 
them  a  helping  hand.  There  seems  to  be  now  a 
general  awakening  at  the  North.  The  sovereign 
people  will  soon  be  in  the  political  field  and  have 
already  cried  out  that  acts  like  those  which  dis 
grace  the  Lincoln  government  shall  not  be  done  in 
their  name.  Cox's  speech  closes  with  a  beautiful 
poem  addressed  to  South  Carolina  upon  her  se 
cession.  It  filled  me  with  a  passionate,  almost  a 
tearful  regret  for  the  Union;  we  can  never  for 
give  the  Massachusetts  Puritans  for  what  they 
have  done.  The  same  old  feeling  which  made  us 
love  the  Union  as  it  was  will  prevent  our  accept 
ing  it  now. 

We  read  also  a  most  interesting  letter  in  the 
New  York  World,  written  in  the  name  of  the 
citizens  of  New  Orleans.  'Tis  in  answer  to  But 
ler's  farewell  address  to  the  people  of  this  city, 
and  refutes  ably  its  many  falsehoods.  Butler's 
address  was  an  inflated  falsehood  from  beginning 
to  end.  This  letter  enumerates  some,  not  all,  of 
Butler's  offences  against  decency,  law  and  order, 
in  a  calm,  determined,  unostentatious  way.  I  read 


128     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

it  with  pleasure,  for  it  was  all  true,  and  was  in 
deed  a  dignified  production.  I  don't  know  who 
wrote  it,  but  the  people  of  New  Orleans,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Dutch,  echo  every  sentiment  it 
contains.  We  read  in  the  same  paper  an  exposi 
tion  of  the  conduct  of  the  speculators  from 
Yankee-land,  and  the  Federal  officials  who  have 
cheated  the  planters  and  gone  home  with  large 
fortunes.  This  war  and  this  infamous  people 
have  developed  and  disclosed  corruption  on  a 
tremendous  scale.  Now  the  Caucasian  contained 
the  account  of  Cameron's  attempt  to  buy  one  of 
the  Pennsylvania  legislators ;  I  am  glad  to  learn 
that  even  one  of  that  infamous  administration 
has  failed  in  his  ambitions.  I  have  seen  one  of 
the  Eras,  a  new  paper  established  here  in  place 
of  the  Delta.  It  is  a  shameful  thing;  not  even 
genteel.  I  am  provoked  to  learn  that  the  editor 
complains  of  the  loss  of  his  "  Tennyson. "  I 
don't  like  to  think  of  his  reading  so  prized  a 
volume.  The  English,  it  is  said,  find  much  fault 
with  President  Davis'  retaliatory  proclamation. 
I  do  not  usually  like  harsh  measures,  but  these 
people — these  Federals — are  to  be  dealt  with  in  no 
other  manner.  They  mistake  leniency  for  fear; 
they  have  not  chivalry  enough  to  comprehend. 

When  the  infamous  Pope  in  Virginia  last  sum 
mer  desolated  for  five  miles  around  where  any 
guerrilla  destroyed  one  of  the  people  who  had 


K.  LKGRAND  JOHNSTON 

The  well-known   artist,   considered  to  be  the   finest  painter 
of    sheep    in    America. 

Nephew   of   Julia   LeGrand 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     129 

'<» 

come  to  desolate  and  spoil  his  friends,  a  retalia 
tory  proclamation  from  Davis  established  the 
only  law  which  enforced  better  behavior.  Every 
ruler  must  protect  his  people;  if  the  enemy  are 
not  governed  by  decent  laws,  if  the  wholesome 
restraints  of  civilization  are  unknown  to  them, 
some  one  must  meet  them  with  force.  How  many 
Virginia  homes  were  desolated  by  that  wretched 
Pope!  I  have  the  utmost  respect  for  General 
McClellan;  no  act  of  his  disgraces  him  except 
his  acceptance  of  a  position  in  the  Federal  Army. 
He  was  suspected  of  Southern  tendencies  all 
through  his  career;  they  say  the  South  could 
have  got  him  if  she  had  bid  high  enough.  He,  as 
an  enemy,  however,  has  acted  the  chivalrous  part. 
I  took  a  fancy  to  him  in  the  early  part  of  his 
career  in  Western  Virginia.  It  was  a  knightly 
act,  I  think,  to  place  our  General  Garnett's  dead 
body  on  ice  that  it  might  present  no  hideous 
changes  to  the  loved  ones  who  awaited  it.  He  is 
out  of  the  service  now  and  the  Federals  have 
shown  their  distrust  of  him  by  endeavoring  to 
disgrace  him.  Burnside,  his  successor,  has  also 
resigned,  and  Hooker,  a  fighting  man,  has  taken 
his  place.  He,  however,  is  mud-blockaded  on  the 
Rappahannock  and  can  not  carry  out  his  belliger 
ent  views.  A  great  many  Federal  officers  have 
resigned  recently  and  the  privates  are  dispirited 
and  mutinous.  Two  or  three  hundred  have  been 


130     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

put  under  arrest  in  the  last  few  days  for  refusing 
to  go  to  Baton  Rouge.  They  did  not  come  to  fight, 
they  say,  and  would  not  have  been  here  at  all  if 
they  had  not  been  drafted.  Orders  have  come 
from  Lincoln  that  Port  Hudson  should  be  attacked 
immediately;  great  drilling,  artillery  and  other 
wise,  going  on  daily  in  the  streets  and  squares. 
The  Harrison  girls  and  the  Ogdens  have  been 
down  frequently ;  they  beg  us  to  go  back  to  Green 
ville  ;  they  tell  much  that  is  amusing  of  the  camp 
near  them.  The  negroes  are  constantly  singing 
1 '  Hang  Jeff.  Davis  on  the  sour-apple  tree. '  '  This 
is  a  beautiful,  solemn  air ;  an  old  Methodist  hymn. 
Mr.  Randolph  called  twice  to  see  Mrs.  Norton 
about  taking  up  Leah,  the  old  woman  who  made 
her  grandchild  steal  our  money. 

We  have  company  every  day,  and  often  all  day ; 
I  can  neither  read  nor  write.  What  I  commit  to 
this  book  is  so  disconnected  that  I  have  half  a  mind 
to  desist.  Even  if  we  are  free  from  company  for  a 
moment  or  two,  Mrs.  Norton  fills  up  the  time  by 
reading  aloud  to  us  these  tiresome  city  papers.  I 
have  a  disgust  for  them,  because  they  do  not  dare 
to  speak  of  anything  that  interests  us.  I  write  in 
such  confusion  and  so  rapidly  when  I  have  an 
opportunity,  that  I  often  cannot  read  myself 
what  has  been  written.  I  fear  my  little  niece, 
Edith  [Mrs.  Edith  Pye  Weeden,  now  of  Austin, 
Texas],  for  whom  I  wish  to  keep  a  good  and  in- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     131 

teresting  journal,  will  think  her  Auntie  has  a 
sorry,  sorry  sort  of  mind  and  style.  I  never  could 
concentrate  my  thoughts  when  in  a  confusion,  and 
here  we  have  it  all  the  time.  Our  room  fronts  on 
the  gallery  and  it  seems  to  be  a  thoroughfare  for 
all  parties ;  not  one  moment  can  we  command. 
Dear  Mrs.  Norton  can't  comprehend  how  young 
people  can  wish  to  be  alone ;  she  is  old  and  hates 
solitude.  When  she  sits  in  her  own  room  and  we 
in  ours  she  continually  calls  something  out  to  us ; 
she  is  devoted  to  newspapers  and  I  cannot  bear 
them  except  when  they  contain  something  of 
worth.  These  papers,  The  Bee,  The  Picayune, 
The  True  Delta,  are  all  worthless  now.  The  Era 
does  not  wish  to,  and  our  papers  do  not  dare  to, 
tell  the  truth.  The  New  York  papers  are  under 
much  less  restraint  than  ours.  We  have  too  large 
a  Federal  force  in  the  city  for  the  truth  to  be 
uttered  except  in  whispers.  Mrs.  Waugh  has 
spent  several  mornings  with  us ;  she  has  brought 
us  Davis7  last  work  on  Spiritualism;  he  approves 
of  the  War,  not  if  it  is  conducted  to  restore  the 
Union,  but  for  slavery.  Mrs.  N—  -  is  talking  to 
me  and  I  cannot  take  heed  of  my  periods.  I  feel 
angry  with  Davis  (Andrew  Jackson  Davis)  for 
approving  of  this  war ;  he  should  divine  the  spirit 
which  guides  the  combatants.  What  good  can  grow 
out  of  such  strife?  Speculators  and  thieves  can 
not  introduce  good  by  warring  and  the  Federal 


132     JOUENAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

Army  is  made  up  of  them.  They  go  to  the  bat 
tles  with  their  pockets  stuffed  with  counterfeit 
Confederate  money  which  they  intend  to  pass  off 
if  they  succeed  in  getting  into  the  country.  Hand 
cuffs  were  carried  to  the  field  of  Manassas — we 
were  then  a  parcel  of  "Eebels"  to  be  easily  con 
quered  and  terribly  punished.  Ah,  how  many  a 
gallant  neck  the  hangman  would  have  touched  if 
our  braves  had  not  boldly  met  them  on  the  field. 
A  great  power  must  watch  over  the  destiny  of 
nations — now  we  are  a  nation  to  be  ruined  by 
other  means — the  "Eebellion"  is  a  great  revo 
lution. 

By  sending  $5.00  to  New  York  you  can  get 
$20,000  Confederate  dollars — counterfeit,  of 
course.  These  advertisements  appear  in  respect 
able  journals,  Harper's  Weekly,  for  instance, 
which  considers  itself  a  vast  civilizer,  though  it 
recommends  that  servile  insurrection  should  over 
run  the  South.  It  is  nothing  that  our  homes 
should  be  burned  and  that  Southern  women  and 
children  should  be  startled  at  midnight  by  the 
wild  beasts  which  Africans  become  after  having 
scented  blood.  Northern  women,  too,  are  willing 
to  see  their  Southern  sisters  subjected  to  every 
danger  and  infamy.  To  think  of  emptying  pris 
ons  and  penitentiaries  of  hardened  wretches  and 
saying,  "Hurrah,  and  God  speed  you!"  to  them 
on  their  mission  of  destruction. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     133 

Two  vessels  of  war,  blockading  at  Sabine  Pass, 
have  been  captured  by  the  Confederates;  one, 
the  Rachel  Seaman,  was  burned  by  the  Yankees 
to  prevent  capture ;  we  attacked  with  two  cotton- 
protected  steamers  and  took  the  Victory  and  the 
Morning  Light — also  money  and  supplies.  Com 
modore  Farragut  pronounces  the  giving  up  of  the 
Harriet  Lane  at  Galveston  and  the  escape  of  the 
rest  of  the  fleet  from  two  "cotton  steamers "  as  a 
pusillanimous  affair. 

The  breaking  of  the  blockade  at  Charleston  is 
declared  by  the  enemy  to  be  a  much  less  important 
affair  than  we  thought  it — this  means  that  several 
vessels  have  come  back  to  begin  the  blockade  over 
again,  not  being  willing  to  own  that  it  has  been 
broken.  I,  as  well  as  others,  believe  that  the 
Quaker  City  was  sunk  in  Charleston  harbor. 

February  17th  [1863].  Mrs.  Dameron  and 
Mrs.  White  came  to  the  gate  late  and  found  Mary 
Jane  outside  talking  with  other  negroes,  after 
having  locked  it,  or  pretending  to  do  so,  and 
bringing  the  key  in  to  Mrs.  Norton.  This  decep 
tion  in  a  girl  in  whom  she  has  had  so  much  con 
fidence  made  Mrs.  Norton  anxious  and  nervous 
all  night.  She  got  her  money,  pistols  and  other 
defences  near  her  and  kept  the  light  burning.  So 
many  horrible  things  have  happened  that  one  can 
not  be  too  careful,  but  I  do  not  think  Mary  Jane 
meant  to  do  more  mischief  than  to  leave  the  gate 


134     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

open  so  that  she  might  have  company  within  or 
go  out  at  will.  The  deception  was  what  was  to 
have  been  expected  of  a  negro.  I  do  not  feel  fear 
for  others  now — I  never  did  for  myself — now  that 
Banks  is  here ;  he  does  not  throw  people  in  prison 
without  a  trial  on  the  testimony  of  a  negro,  as 
Butler  did.  Mrs.  Dameron  came  in  because  a  gen 
tleman  who  had  run  the  blockade  had  brought  her 
news  of  Mr.  D .  All  well  outside. 

No  fight  at  Port  Hudson  yet ;  Farragut  and  his 
flagship,  the  Hartford,  still  here.  The  town  is 
filled  with  rumors  and  our  friends  who  are  always 
trooping  here,  keep  us  well  plied  with  them.  I 
do  not  record  them  all,  because  I  forget  them. 

February  18th  [1863].  General  Banks  and  the 
planters  met  to-day.  A  series  of  resolutions  has 
been  made.  The  amount  of  the  whole  matter  is 
that  General  Banks  promised  to  do  what  he  could, 
though  fettered  by  his  Government,  to  send  the 
slaves  back  to  the  plantations,  and  he  has  re 
ceived  a  great  many  compliments  in  return  for 
his  promise.  Many  people,  myself  among  the 
number,  disapprove  of  the  whole  affair.  No 
agreement  should  be  entered  with  our  enemies  or 
the  Government  which  sends  them  here.  Our 
dear  boys  are  fighting  for  our  rights  and  many 
of  their  papas  are  entering  into  terms  with  their 
armed  invaders. 

February  19th  [1863].     Mrs.  Waugh  came  in 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     135 

while  I  was  doing  up  my  collars.  She  read  us 
Davis'  book  while  I  was  busy.  She  is  so  simple- 
minded  and  true  that  I  should  not  blush  if  she 
visited  me,  and  I  had  only  a  crust  to  offer  her. 
The  exchanged  prisoners  go  out  tomorrow.  A 
great  many  are  going  to  see  them  off.  Report 
says  that  the  Laurel  Hill,  the  boat  on  which  they 
were  to  be  sent,  is  captured  by  our  people  up  the 
river. 

February  20th  [1863].  Mary  Harrison  came  to 
ask  us  to  go  with  her  to  Mrs.  Payne 's  and  thence 
to  see  the  prisoners  off.  We  did  not  feel  like 
standing  so  long  in  such  a  crowd,  though  anxious 
to  wave  a  handkerchief  to  them,  too.  Mary  prom 
ised  to  come  back  to  dinner,  but  Mrs.  Dameron 
sent  us  an  invitation  to  dine  while  Mary  was  here, 
so  she  declined  coming  back.  We  spent  the  day 
at  Mrs.  D—  -'s.  Had  quite  a  discussion  about 
spiritualism.  I  don't  like  to  hear  people  say  a 
thing  can't  be  true,  or  that  it  is  not  true  and  that 
they  know  it  isn  't.  I  said  that  I  felt  too  ignorant 
of  nature's  mysteries  to  say  what  was  or  what 
was  not  true.  Our  being  is  so  mysterious  and  the 
laws  which  govern  it  are  so  mysterious  that  I  do 
not  know  how  many  other  mysteries  I  may  be 
involved  in.  I  said  that  I  was  sure  of  one  thing 
and  that  was  that  nothing  but  truth  could  live; 
false  doctrine  must  die  out,  but  truth  can  be 
crushed  out  only  for  a  season.  An  abiding  law 


136     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

of  the  universe  must  be  abiding  and  revealed 
sometime.  I  am  determined  to  be  prejudiced 
against  nothing  but  ignorance.  Most  people  show 
so  little  sign  of  having  thought  at  all  except  in 
commonplace,  everyday  matters,  that  it  is  a  relief 
to  be  entertained  with  a  beautiful  fancy  logically 
sustained  as  Mrs.  "Waugh  sustains  hers. 

Sent  for  by  Mrs.  D—  -  on  account  of  company 
at  home;  found  Mrs.  Wells,  Mrs.  Eoselius  and 
Mrs.  Gilmour.  Annie  Waugh  came  in  afterwards. 
Mrs.  Wells  tired  out,  having  been  running  from 
one  Federal  ruler  to  another  for  days  trying  to 
get  permission  to  send  her  young  daughters  in 
the  Confederacy  a  few  necessaries — no  success 
after  all  her  trouble.  These  people  never  say  no 
at  first.  The  Queen  of  the  West,  or,  some  say,  the 
Conestoga,  passed  Vicksburg  some  time  ago ;  she 
has  captured  three  Confederate  vessels  with  pro 
visions,  and  has  entirely  cut  off  communication 
by  water  between  Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg. 
Our  Eed  Eiver  supplies  and  those  from  Texas 
also  cut  off.  She  must  be  sunk  or  captured.  I 
expect  to  hear  of  one  or  the  other  in  a  few  days. 
I  read  a  speech  of  Wendell  Phillips.  No  Jacobin 
of  France,  not  even  Eobespierre,  ever  made  so 
infamous  a  one.  He  says  an  aristocracy  like  that 
of  the  South  has  never  been  gotten  rid  of  except 
by  the  sacrifice  of  one  generation ;  they  can  never 
have  peace,  he  says,  until  "  every  slaveholder  is 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     137 

either  killed  or  exiled. "  He  does  not  approve  of 
battles — the  negro  should  be  turned  loose  and  in 
cited  to  rise  and  slay.  "They  know  by  instinct 
the  whole  programme  of  what  they  have  to  do," 
he  says.  I  at  first  blamed  our  secession,  but  our 
politicians  knew  these  awful  people  better  than 
I  did  and  now  I  am  glad  that  we  are,  or  will,  be 
rid  of  them. 

February  21st  [1863].  Yesterday  the  Confed 
erates,  clad  in  the  dear  gray  uniform  and  ladened 
with  women's  gifts,  gathered,  according  to  order, 
upon  the  levee.  The  Laurel  Hill,  contrary  to  ex 
pectations,  came  up,  but  meantime  the  Empire 
Parish  was  appointed  to  take  them  beyond  the 
lines.  The  Laurel  Hill  lay  close  beside  her ;  also 
the  iron-clad,  Star  of  the  West.  These  men  have 
been  trying  for  months  to  get  out,  but  the  authori 
ties  here  feared  that  they  would  join  the  "Rebel" 
army.  It  was  not  believed  when  the  order  to 
register  was  given  that  so  many  wished  to  go.  A 
promise  was  given  that  at  least  a  thousand  should 
be  sent  out  on  the  exchange  vessel,  but  when  the 
day  came  the  number  was  cut  down  to  three  hun 
dred.  The  excluded  were  furious,  and  many  to 
whom  no  passports  were  issued  would  press  up 
to  mingle  with  the  more  fortunate.  Thousands 
of  women  and  men,  whose  hearts  warmed  to  the 
uniform,  gathered  at  the  levee  to  see  them  off — 
what  happened,  the  following  quotation  from  a 


138     JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

lady's  letter  to  her  sister  in  Europe  will  tell: 
i  i  I  went  yesterday  to  $ee  some  fourteen  hundred 
exchanged  Confederates  leave  the  levee,  and  while 
the  scene  is  still  fresh  in  my  mind,  I  will  tell  you 
of  it.  Such  conduct  as  we  witnessed!  It  was  fit 
only  for  barbarians.  At  least  ten  thousand  per 
sons  of  all  ages  and  sexes  congregated  on  the 
wharf  to  cheer  their  beloved  soldiers;  mothers, 
wives,  sisters  and  lovers  were  crying  bitterly; 
many  old  men  had  handkerchiefs  to  their  faces, 
others  standing  still  with  a  fixed  stare  on  the 
boat,  which  they  could  not  approach.  A  steamer, 
the  Laurel  Hill,  which  was  near,  was  crowded  like 
an  ant  hill;  all  the  balconies,  even  the  roofs  of 
the  houses,  were  filled.  Thousands  of  different 
kinds  of  vehicles  were  on  the  levee,  all  filled  with 
ladies  and  children.  Suddenly  there  was  a  cry  of 
*  Disperse  the  people!'  Then  a  company  of  sol 
diers,  with  bayonets  fixed,  rushed  through  the 
crowd.  A  bayonet  touched  my  back ;  I  was  so  in 
dignant  that  I  forgot  to  be  afraid,  nor  would  I 
have  hurried  had  not  the  flying  crowd  pushed  me 
on  before  them.  I  then  got  in  the  carriage  of  the 
ladies  who  had  asked  me  to  go  with  them,  when 
presently  another  cry  arose,  'Let  all  carriages 
leave  the  street,  or  they  shall  be  run  over  by 
artillery.'  i Pshaw,'  said  I,  'they  dare  not  do  it.' 
A  policeman  imperturbably  answered  me,  'You'll 
see  if  they  dare  not.'  Before  the  last  word  was 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     139 

said,  sure  enough  down  came  a  full  battery  in  full 
gallop.  Our  horse  stood  upright  with  fright; 
drays,  carriages,  furniture  carts,  all  got  en 
tangled.  If  the  horses  had  not  been  more  noble 
than  their  riders,  they  would  positively  have  gone 
over  us;  they  refused  to  advance  until  lashed  to 
fury  by  the  soldiers,  and  that  pause  enabled  the 
carriage  drivers  to  open  a  road  for  them.  Such 
screams  you  never  heard.  The  last  look  I  gave 
to  the  levee  was  in  time  to  see  several  women 
running,  the  foremost  of  whom  fell,  arid  those 
behind  got  tangled  in  their  skirts  and  came  down 
over  them,  while  the  horse's  breath,  like  thick 
smoke,  fouled  their  upturned  faces.  I  am  sure 
some  of  them  must  have  been  killed.  I  should 
have  told  you  that  before  I  got  into  the  carriage  a 
soldier  placed  a  bayonet  across  my  path  and  for 
bade  my  going  further;  '  Order  as  you  please,' 
said  I,  'but  don't  dare  to  touch  me.'  An  old  Irish 
woman  shrieked  out, '  Even  that  divvil  of  a  Butler 
had  never  run  over  the  people.'  I  was  so  indig 
nant  that  I  could  have  fought  like  a  man.  I  can 
understand  now  why  so  few  run  in  battle.  The 
people  who  had  gathered  on  the  Laurel  Hill  were 
also  ordered  off,  but  they  refused  to  go,  saying 
that  no  artillery  could  reach  them  there.  The 
Captain  then  put  up  steam  and  went  out  into  the 
river ;  when  they  passed  the  boats  containing  the 
prisoners,  their  shouts  rent  the  air.  Ladies  on  the 


140     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

levee  had  handkerchiefs  tied  to  their  parasols, 
others  had  flowers,  throwing  and  giving  them  to 
the  Confederates  who  were  still  on  their  way  to 
the  boat.  To  some  tobacco  was  given  and  to 
others  $5.00  notes.  When  those  on  the  boat  saw 
the  artillery  running  over  the  women  and  chil 
dren,  they  gave  the  battle  yell  and  one  of  them 
lifted  a  Confederate  flag  he  had.  A  Federal 
rushed  for  it,  but  it  was  passed  from  one  to  an 
other  ;  it  was  got  at  last,  however,  and  the  soldier 
who  bore  it  fell  into  the  water  amidst  the  shouts 
of  laughter  and  clapping  of  hands.  One  English 
man  cried  out,  'Oh,  that  the  Rinaldo  was  here!' 
A  Frenchman  wished  for  one  of  his  war  vessels, 
and  a  common  Spaniard  roared  out,  'In  dis  revo 
lution  you  feared  even  of  children.'  The  negroes 
laughed  and  clapped  their  hands  to  see  us  run 
over,  and  one  screamed  out,  'Here,  let  me  get  out 

of  this  d d  secesh.'     The  carriages  were  not 

allowed  to  remain  even  one  square  from  the  levee. 
Our  General  Clarke  was  among  the  prisoners ;  he 
was  carried  on  a  litter  by  the  gentlemen  and 
attended  by  Doctor  Stone." 

This  quotation  from  Mrs.  Roselius  's  letter  gives 
but  half  of  the  horrors  of  the  scene.  The  whole 
town  is  talking  of  the  disgraceful  behavior  of  the 
Federal  authorities.  These  men  had  been  prom 
ised  that  they  should  go  out;  passes  had  been 
refused  them,  and  when  discovered  running  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     141 

blockade  they  were  shot  down.  The  number  nad 
been  cut  down  to  three  hundred  who  were  allowed 
to  go  on  the  Government  boat,  which  fact  gave 
disappointment  to  many.  The  Federals  say  they 
do  not  intend  to  recruit  for  the  "Rebel"  service. 
Mrs.  Norton  was  down  town  in  the  morning,  but 
T&ie  did  not  go  to  the  levee.  She  met  a  Confeder 
ate  soldier  dressed  in  the  dear  gray  and  pre 
sented  him  a  $5.00  note  which  she  happened  to 
have  about  her.  He  took  it  as  a  keepsake;  shook 
hands  with  her,  and  hoped  some  day  to  see  her 
again.  She  told  him  that  it  did  her  heart  good 
to  look  at  him.  The  Federals  with  all  their  gay 
parade  here  are  solitary  and  alone  in  all  their 
drills  and  marches ;  nothing  shows  the  tone  of  the 
public  mind  here  more  than  this.  No  boys  ever 
follow  them  except  a  few  daring  ones  sometimes 
who  hurrah  for  Jeff  Davis,  "Stonewall"  Jackson 
or  Beauregard  in  their  very  faces.  Sometimes 
the  "Bonny  Blue  Flag"  is  sung  to  them  and  chil 
dren  have  been  arrested  for  this  offence.  Our 
Confederates,  after  they  began  to  gather,  were 
followed  street  by  street  with  loving  eyes  and  lov 
ing  cries ;  hands  were  shaken  that  had  never  met, 
and  alas,  were  likely  never  to  meet  again.  Here 
the  words,  "God  bless  you,  God  speed  you," 
really  meant  much.  The  Federals  felt  keenly  the 
magic  of  the  words,  "Our  soldiers."  One  officer 
was  heard  to  remark,  "This  looks  like  a of 


142     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

a  Union  city  to-day."  It  is  wonderful  how  soon 
we  have  learned  to  love  the  stars  and  bars.  I 
thought  I  never  should  at  first,  but  I  do  now.  An 
adopted  child  is  more  tenderly  thought  of  than  an 
unworthy  son  or  daughter,  though  a  wild  regret 
may  ever  mingle  with  the  anger  and  scorn  which 
an  insulted  parent  must  feel. 

The  boat  which  was  carried  out  into  the  stream 
went  farther  down  the  river;  the  Captain  told 
the  ladies  he  intended  to  take  them  to  Fort  Jack 
son.  They  begged  him  to  go  back,  as  many  had 
left  infants  at  home ;  he  would  take  them  back,  he 
said,  if  they  would  behave  themselves.  Finding 
that  he  had  no  such  intentions,  they  all  commenced 
to  sing  the  "Bonny  Blue  Flag,"  "My  Maryland," 
"Jeff  Davis  is  a  Gentleman,"  and  every  other 
revolutionary  air  they  could  think  of.  Of  course 
"Dixie"  was  not  forgotten.  All  this  was  impru 
dent,  to  say  the  least  of  it;  it  would  have  been 
more  lady-like  to  have  been  quiet.  They  were  in 
Yankee  power,  and  it  was  shown  to  them  as 
harshly  as  possible.  They  were  kept  on  this  boat 
until  next  day ;  they  had  nothing  to  eat  but  some 
crackers  so  old,  it  is  said,  they  were  made  in  1812. 
Children  were  crying  because  they  had  nowhere  to 
sleep  and  nothing  to  eat.  When  the  boat  stopped 
to  coal  a  few  hardy  women  got  off  and  walked 
home,  three  or  four  miles,  a  great  distance  for  a 
Louisiana  woman.  There  are  hundreds  of  inci- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     143 

dents  connected  with  this  affair ;  some  of  a  serious 
and  others  of  a  laughable  nature.  One  lady  was 
killed  that  I  know  of;  it  is  feared  others  were. 
The  papers  do  not  dare  mention  what  happened; 
the  Yankee  Era  did  say  that  all  next  day  people 
were  running  about  in  a  distracted  'manner  look 
ing  up  lost  relatives.  One  nurse  with  a  child  is 
missing.  We  hope  the  Confederates  saw  it  all 
well  and  will  report  it  outside;  it  will  swell  the 
battle  cry.  The  old  one  of  "Remember  Butler  and 
New  Orleans,"  did  the  Confederacy  good  service; 
it  acted  like  an  inspiration  to  Louisiana  soldiers. 
Even  after  this  scene,  the  Yankee  Era  came  out 
with  a  flaming  article  about  the  Union  feeling  of 
this  city.  There  are  hundreds  more  people  who 
hate  the  Yankees  to-day  than  there  were  a  week 
ago.  The  whole  matter  was  repudiated  by  Gen 
eral  Banks  next  day.  Some  say  French  sent  the 
artillery  down.  Some  German  captain  will  have 
to  bear  the  infamy  of  charging  with  bayonets 
vvomen  and  children  who  had  come  to  say  farewell 
to  clear  ones  they  might  never  see  again.  The 
people  here  have  had  their  feelings  pent-up  so 
long  that  they  might  have  been  allowed  this  one 
vent  in  peace.  Many  handkerchiefs  were  bay 
oneted,  also  dresses;  only  one  man  was  actually 
struck  that  I  heard  of.  One  Federal  soldier  said 
to  another  that  they  had  stove  in  the  "  rebellion, " 
"broke  its  backbone  to-day."  Mary  Ogden  heard 


144     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

this  herself.  The  Ogden  girls  were  not  on  the 
ground,  but  near  Greenville  on  the  river  bank; 
they  placed  a  striped  shawl  on  a  pole  under  the 
pretence  of  drying  it;  they  knew  the  Confeder 
ates  when  they  passed  would  understand  and 
cheer  what  they  meant  for  a  flag.  Their  Uncle 
Walter,  fearing  some  insult  from  it,  made  them 
take  it  down.  They  waited  long  for  the  Empire 
Parish  to  pass,  but  went  home  without  seeing  her. 
The  soldiers  did  not  get  off  until  next  day.  The 
Federals,  intentionally,  it  is  believed,  ran  her 
against  the  iron-clad  Star  of  the  West,  lying  close 
by  her.  This  was  done  in  broad  daylight.  It  is 
said  they  wish  to  sink  our  soldiers.  Of  course  the 
boat  was  disabled  and  the  soldiers  detained.  They 
had  nothing  to  eat,  and  dear  ones  on  the  shore 
were  not  allowed  to  take  them  anything.  They 
don't  wish  these  men  to  go  into  the  Confederacy 
until  after  the  fight  at  Vicksburg  and  at  Port 
Hudson  are  over.  These  are  imminent,  they  say, 
but  it  is  believed  by  many  that  the  long  delay  has 
been  occasioned  by  a  fear  to  commence.  The 
Federal  army  here  is  not  thought  true  to  Federal 
interests.  The  Western  men  read  constantly  of 
opposition  to  their  Government  in  their  own 
States.  A  Western  Republic  is  constantly  talked 
of.  It  is  proposed  to  "  Leave  New  England,  the 
author  of  the  mischief,  out  in  the  cold. ' 9 
February  22nd  [1863].  Clear  and  beautiful. 


MARY  JOHNSTON 
(Mrs.  Fielder  C.  Slingluff) 

Niece  of  Julia  LeGrand 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GBAND     145 

Cannons  were  fired.  Numerous  reports  as  usual. 
Company  to  dinner  who  reported  fighting  over  the 
river.  Mary  Harrison  on  her  way  from  church 
met  three  Confederate  soldiers  under  arrest 
taken  from  the  boat.  A  hundred  were  sent  off,  it 
is  said.  Willy  Thompson,  a  young  friend  of  Mary 
Waugh's,  became  furious  with  disappointment- 
said  if  he  could  not  go  into  the  Confederacy,  he 
would  go  to  Fort  Jackson.  Consequently  he  gave 
his  tongue  license  and  was  arrested  on  the  boat 
and  brought  before  Colonel  Clarke.  This  gentle 
man,  who  stands  out  from  the  Federal  groups 
here  like  a  piece  of  harmonious  statuary,  merely 
said  to  him  that  he  knew  he  had  met  with  a  dis 
appointment,  "and  now,  young  man,"  he  con 
tinued,  "you  had  best  take  yourself  off  home  as 
soon  as  possible."  The  remaining  prisoners  were 
transferred  to  the  Brunswick,  and  were  carried  a 
few  miles  above  Baton  Eouge.  They  left  the  boat 
giving  three  cheers  for  Colonel  Clarke.  We 
"Rebels"  are  not  all  fire-eaters  and  savages,  as 
it  pleases  Northern  satirists  to  style  us,  and  really 
know  how  to  appreciate  a  kindly  enemy  even.  Our 
hearts  ached  this  morning  to  hear  that  five  of  our 
Confederate  friends  fell  overboard,  owing  to  the 
slipping  of  some  wood,  and  one  of  them  was 
drowned.  The  Yankee  Era  says  that  the  ' '  Rebel ' ' 
officer  who  called  the  roll  of  our  prisoners  at 
Houston,  is  Lieutenant  Todd,  brother  of  Mrs. 


146     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

Lincoln.  He  is  tall,  fat,  and  savage  against  the 
Yankees. 

February  34th.  Great  stir  among  the  Yankees. 
Much  hard  riding.  They  have  stolen  and  forced 
people  to  give  np  every  horse  in  town,  even  car 
riage  horses.  They  ride  as  though  the  world  were 
coming  to  an  end.  Some  unhappy-looking  troops 
have  just  passed  our  door  with  knapsacks  packed 
and  a  pretty  flag  flying  with  12th  Battery  upon  it. 
The  cannon  have  been  sent  to  the  boat;  we  pre 
sume  that  these  people  are  on  their  way  to  Port 
Hudson. 

February  25t~h.  Invited  to  lunch  at  Mrs.  Eose- 
lius's — had  headache — so  had  Ginnie;  concluded 
late  to  go.  Found  everything  delightful,  and 
pleasant  company.  Can 't  say,  though,  that  I  have 
any  fancy  for  any  sort  of  company  just  now. 
After  lunch,  ran  over  to  Mrs.  Waugh  's  in  my  light 
silk,  to  which  she  has  taken  such  a  fancy,  and  felt 
in  another  atmosphere  with  her.  No  memories 
of  the  jarring  world  when  with  her,  or  at  least  an 
inspiring  confidence  that  we  can  live  above  them. 
How  purely  intellectual  she  is!  How  free  from 
vanity,  egotism  and  pedantry  which  men  have 
pleased  to  associate  with  a  learned  woman.  Her 
conversations  are  sometimes  beautiful  lectures 
that  fall  from  her  lips  without  effort  and  with 
simple  elegance.  Indeed  her  heart  speaks  in 
everything,  and  there  is  a  sincerity  and  earnest- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     147 

ness,  a  childlike  sweetness,  that  spiritualizes  her 
most  didactic  discourses.  I  like  Mrs.  Roselius 
better  than  any  woman  of  the  world  I  have  ever 
known.  She  has  seen  much  of  society — she  has 
elegance  of  manner,  tact  and  good  taste — she  has 
not  lost  her  natural  warmth  of  heart,  or  her  en 
thusiasms  ;  she  has  much  charity  without  show 
and  is  both  ingenuous  and  truthful.  She  is  smart, 
even  talented;  but  neither  thought  or  conversa 
tion  are  purified  by  sentiment.  It  amuses  me  to 
hear  her  talk,  for  she  seems  to  know  all  that  hap 
pens,  but  I  never  feel  any  better  or  wiser  after 
having  listened  to  her  for  hours.  On  the  contrary, 
some  of  her  most  amusing  sketches  of  life,  people 
or  character  depress  me  wonderfully,  though  I 
laugh  over  them.  She  lives  next  door  and  is  very 
sociable.  I'm  ashamed  to  say  that  we  are  not. 
Her  husband  is  such  a  Federal  and  talks  so 
abusively  of  Southerners  that  she  excuses  our 
want  of  sociability  on  that  account — but  I  consider 
him  such  a  silly  person  that  his  petulent  talk  does 
not  affect  me  in  the  least.  I  never  get  angry  with 
a  silly  person ;  I  do  not  consider  them  responsible. 
When  the  New  Orleans  Guard  was  deserted  out 
side  of  the  lines,  and  its  members  stole  inglori- 
ously  back  to  enjoy  the  luxuries  of  the  city — 

Mr.  R excused  them.     He  said  that  he,  too, 

"was  brave,  that  he  would  stand  to  be  shot  at  as 
well  as  any  man,  but  that  gentlemen  could  not 


148     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

endure  camp  life.  He  could  not  eat  pork  and 
beans.  Those  Virginians  and  Mississippians 
(mentioning  people  from  other  States)  were  not 
gentlemen,  he  said ;  they  ought  to  fight. ' '  It  was 
useless  to  talk  to  a  man  who  could  not  feel  the 
meaning  of  hating,  yet  stealing  in  to  lead  a  life 
of  inglorious  ease,  leaving  the  burden  of  defence 
to  be  borne  by  others.  Nobly  has  that  burden 
been  borne  by  others — Louisianians,  American 
sons  have  won  honors  on  every  field. 

Much  dissatisfaction  was  felt  here  for  a  time 
over  President  Davis'  speech  at  Jackson.  It  was 
partial  and  addressed  wholly  to  Mississippians, 
though  the  army  by  which  he  was  surrounded  was 
composed  of  men  from  all  States.  The  battle  of 
Chickasaw  Bayou  was  fought  by  Louisianans  and 
Georgians.  These  men  were  entitled,  even  as  ex 
iles  from  home,  to  kindly  mention — but  no  word  of 
praise,  except  to  Mississippians.  The  women  of 
Vicksburg  were  approved  because  they  expressed 
wishes  that  the  town  should  be  shelled  rather  than 
surrendered.  The  women  of  New  Orleans  rushed 
in  numbers  to  sign  a  paper  imploring  that  this 
city  should  never  be  given  up.  They  were  fear 
less,  they  said ;  we  signed  it  and  would  have  been 
glad  enough  to  have  resistance  made.  I  have  al 
ways  felt  that  Davis  was  a  partisan,  rather  than 
a  father  of  his  country;  a  politician  rather  than 
a  statesman.  I  heard  him  speak  once  and  was  not 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     149 

satisfied.  I  can  never  learn  to  love  him  as  I  do 
Washington  or  Lee,  " Stonewall' '  Jackson,  or  the 
two  Ashbys  even,  who  were  willing  to  serve  their 
country  in  any  capacity.  It  does  me  good  to  feel 
that  thousands  of  men  are  privates  in  this  war, 
undergoing,  voluntarily,  all  sorts  of  deprivation 
and  hardships,  who,  before  the  war,  were  wealthy 
and  lived  in  luxury.  Thousands  of  our  country 
men  are  yielding  to  the  authority  of  officers  who 
are  far  beneath  them  in  wealth  and  social  stand 
ing.  This  state  of  things  gratifies  the  hero- 
worship  that  has  always  stirred  my  heart.  I  hate 
man-worship  or  place-worship — it  corrupts — but 
in  hero-worship  I  feel  that  I  serve  but  my  ideal. 

The  ram,  Queen  of  the  West,  has  been  captured 
by  our  Confederates  up  Red  River.  Some  of  the 
men  escaped,  but  many  were  taken  prisoners. 
We  captured  guns  and  useful  supplies.  One  of 
our  men,  John  Burke,  had  been  seized  to  pilot  the 
boat  up  Red  River  that  our  batteries  could  be 
captured  or  destroyed — he  was  forced  under  a 
Federal  guard  and  therefore  felt  privileged  to  de 
ceive  them.  When  quite  near  he  assured  the  Fed 
erals  that  they  were  still  fifteen  miles  distant; 
they  were,  therefore,  more  unprepared  than  they 
would  have  been.  A  warehouse  on  shore  was 
fired  by  one  of  our  officers,  which  lighted  up  the 
river.  We  made  a  complete  triumph  of  it.  I  am 
glad  that  this  capture  was  made  in  Louisiana,  for, 


150     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

owing  to  the  fall  of  New  Orleans,  she  has  been 
somewhat  depreciated  in  the  Confederacy,  though 
I  think  the  Government  at  Richmond  was  more  to 
be  blamed  in  that  disaster  than  the  people  who 
had  trusted  all  defences  to  their  military  supe 
riors.  Large  contributions  were  made  here  to 
the  defence  of  the  city  and  to  the  general  war. 
And  had  not  the  citizens  been  trammeled  by  the 
general  Government,  the  city  would  not  have 
fallen.  Its  fall  had  been  anticipated  by  those  who 
knew  anything  of  military  matters,  but  to  the 
people  at  large  it  was  a  great  surprise.  They  were 
therefore  totally  surprised  and  unprepared  and 
showed  panic — that  undignified  state  of  things. 
It  was  reported  at  one  time  that  Butler  had  gotten 
hold  of  the  ladies'  list  and  was  to  bring  to  justice 
all  offending  therein.  Butler  was  so  senseless  in 
much  of  his  tyranny,  that  any  report  of  him  could 
receive  credence.  I  firmly  expected  to  go  to  prison 
when  the  others  were  taken,  when  the  oath-taking 
was  going  on.  Judge  Ogden  told  us  of  a  young 
lawyer  friend  of  his  who  took  the  oath,  not  for  his 
own  interests,  but  to  protect  those  of  others.  He 
had  in  charge  a  large  property  belonging  to 
minors,  and  as  he  could  have  no  control  over  it, 
or  practice  in  any  of  the  courts  unless  he  took  the 
oath,  he  took  it.  He  has  since  gone  completely 
mad  in  consequence — he  suffered  so  and  his 
thoughts  were  completely  filled  with  it.  This  is  a 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     151 

terrible  case  and  I  know  of  another  just  like  it. 
That  wretch  Butler  has  much  to  answer  for.  They 
continually  threaten  to  send  him  back  here,  but 
we  do  not  fear  that  he  will  come.  The  Consuls 
had  him  removed,  and  beside  we  do  not  think  that 
he  would  trust  himself  to  the  watery  pathway  in 
which  the  290,  or  the  Oreta,  may  find  him. 

The  Yankee  paper  reports  that  the  Alabama 
(the  290)  is  captured  and  that  we  are  about  to 
evacuate  Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg  on  account 
of  starvation.  We  do  not  heed  these  stories. 

February  26  [1863].  Read  constantly  of  oppo 
sition  to  the  Government  at  the  North.  A  civil 
war  there  thought  to  be  imminent.  Mrs.  Wilkin 
son,  who  lost  her  husband  at  the  battle  of 
Manassas,  and  who  hastened  out  of  the  city  at 
that  time,  leaving  her  children,  has  just  come  to 
town.  Would  people  in  any  other  land  believe 
that  a  woman,  under  such  circumstances,  could  be 
arrested  for  not  taking  the  oath  to  the  United 
States?  No  one  is  allowed  to  land  without  doing 
so,  though  notbing  has  been  done  so  far  to  those 
in  the  city  who  resisted.  Mrs.  Wilkinson  is  under 
arrest,  having  refused  the  oath  at  St.  Andrew's 
House.  Her  children  would  not  have  learned  of 
her  arrival  through  the  morning  paper  but  for  an 
accident.  She  is  to  be  sent  back,  and  is  trying  to 

get  leave  to  take  her  children.  Kate  W took 

breakfast  with  us  this  morning.  I  told  her  that  I 


152     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

thought  her  mother  highly  honored,  she  had  re 
sisted  and  that  we  were  leading  the  dryest  and 
tamest  sort  of  life,  and  had  no  chance  of  being 
thought  martyrs,  though  we  are,  in  truth,  often, 
in  another  fashion.  Mrs.  W- says  that  no  at 
tack  is  to  be  feared  at  Vicksburg,  the  Yankee 
troops  having  come  over  to  us  in  the  last  fight 
there  in  whole  squads,  bearing  with  them  the 
smallest  flags  of  truce.  Our  people  did  not  see  the 
flags  at  first,  being  so  excited  and  the  generals  had 
difficulty  to  restrain  their  ardor.  In  this  way, 
many  poor  fellows  were  murdered  who  would  have 
been  our  friends.  The  Yankees  have  deceived  us 
so  often  that  our  people  fear  almost  to  trust  a 
flag  of  truce.  I  feel  so  sad  to  think  of  those  poor 
fellows ;  what  a  hopeless  feeling  must  have  taken 
possession  of  them  between  the  two  fires,  not 
trusted  by  either  side.  Under  other  circumstances 
I  would  not  trust  deserters,  but  in  this  war  thou 
sands  long  to  come  to  us,  being  convinced  that  it 
is  wrong  to  overrun  the  South.  Some,  too,  con 
sider  their  cause  a  hopeless  one.  There  are  three 
hundred  deserters  in  Jackson  alone  and  they  are 

coming  in  all  the  time,  Mrs.  W says.  They  are 

in  high  spirits,  Mrs.  W says,  outside  the  lines 

and  do  not  look  as  we  do  here.  Our  soldiers  have 
plenty  of  everything,  even  coffee,  though  out 
siders  have  to  pay  well  for  it,  if  they  get  it  at  all. 
Flour  is  $80  per  barrel.  Kate  says  that  her  aunt, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     153 

Mrs.  Eccleston,  in  Vicksburg,  has  devoted  herself 
to  the  Louisiana  troops.  They  say  she  belongs 
to  them.  We  want  to  go  out  with  the  Wilkinsons, 
if  these  people  will  let  us — here  comes  the  martyr 
dom — money  due  us  all  round,  and  cannot  ask  for 
it,  because  the  times  are  pressing  so  on  all.  Mr. 
Randolph  was  here  this  morning;  he  thanked  us 
for  letting  our  house  free  of  rent  to  them.  Mr. 

R did  not  take  the  oath  and  was  thrown  out 

of  business.  We  were  glad  to  be  of  some  use.  Oh, 

I  wish  we  were  rich.  Kate  W ,  Mrs.  Randolph 

and  Detty  [Margaretta]  Harrison  have  taken  up 
my  morning.  I  like  them  all,  but  love  best  to  be 
alone  of  all  things.  I  am  so  worn  out  sometimes 
by  the  constant  stream  of  talk  around  me  that  I 
am  nearly  crazy.  I  fear  I  shall  get  the  same  sort 
of  buzzing  in  my  head  that  Mrs.  Wragge  com 
plains  of  (from  "No  Name,"  by  Wilkie  Collins, 
that  I  have  just  read).  I  like  this  book  better  than 
his  "White  Woman "  or  "Woman  in  White. "  He 
has  too  much  plot  to  suit  my  taste.  Life  is  full  of 
plot,  too,  but  I  have  never  felt  that  a  book  that 
contains  much  of  it  gives  a  true  representation  of 
life.  I  prefer  the  volume  that  seems  but  a  page 
torn  from  real  life.  I  care  not  for  startling  inci 
dents,  but  only  the  gradual  development  of  social 
life  and  a  good  delineation  of  character.  I  notice 
though  that  plot  and  incident  are  more  popular 
than  quiet  truthful  pictures. 


154     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Thackeray  is  no  favorite  here;  I  find  few 
of  my  friends  here  who  will  even  try  to  com 
prehend  him.  To  me  he  is  the  first  of  Eng 
lish  writers.  "Vanity  Fair"  gave  me  a  great 
shock.  I  do  not  think  I  could  ever  have 
been  quite  so  happy  again,  after  having  read  that 
book,  even  if  life  had  not  gone  hard  with  me.  It 
taught  me  to  look  under  the  veil,  and  I  have  been 
looking  under  it  ever  since.  And  my  God,  what 
have  I  not  seen !  Indeed  I  do  not  love  the  world, 
but  I  have  met  with  some  really  good  and  pure 
people.  Thackeray's  books  are  magnificent  pro 
tests  against  the  social  life  of  England.  I  wish  we 
had  such  "a  man.  We  would  not  take  our  lashing 
and  dissection  from  a  stranger.  I  sometimes  think 
that  even  one  of  us  could  not  tell  the  whole  truth 
to  our  country  people.  They  love  flattery,  it  must 
be  confessed.  The  Northern  people  have  sickened 
me  with  boasting.  I  hope  ours  will  adopt  a  system 
of  inciting  and  elevating  to  a  high  state  of  things 
rather  than  claiming  it  without  an  effort.  Let 
there  be  truth-telling  in  all  things.  Thackeray 
really  holds  up  a  glass  to  his  country-folk,  and  to 
humanity  at  large.  He  is  not  popular,  because 
people  do  not  like  the  real  cut  of  their  features. 
There  must  be  moral  cosmetics  as  well  as  those  of 
another  sort  to  keep  people  in  decent  humor  with 
you.  People  call  Thackeray  names,  but  for  my 
part  I  even  feel  grateful  to  the  man  who  has 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     155 

given  to  u^'a  Thomas  Newcome  and  an  Ethel. 
Fault  is  found  with  his  Washington,  too;  it  is 
truthful,  sublime.  His  whole  "  Virginians  * '  is  a 
splendid  page  from  colonial  history. 

We  went  to  see  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  Mrs.  Wells 
this  afternoon ;  met  Mrs.  Roselius,  who  asked  us  to 
call  for  her  at  the  Little  Calvary  Church,  whither 
she  was  going  to  attend  another  singing  effort. 
Mrs.  Hedges  has  sent  word  to  Mr.  Payne  that  she 
would  not  sing  there  for  a  thousand  per  night. 

Found  Mrs.  M sick.  The  Judge  sleeping  in  a 

big  chair  and  Mrs.  Wells  out  of  spirits  from  not 
having  heard  from  her  little  girls.  Her  husband 
she  does  not  expect  to  hear  from  until  the  war  is 
over,  he  having  run  the  blockade  to  Vera  Cruz. 
These  are  sad  times.  The  girls  are  in  Vicksburg, 
but  word  is  sent  to  us  outside  the  lines  that  no 
danger  to  that  place  is  to  be  apprehended.  The 
famous  canal  dug  by  the  persevering  Yankees  is 
utterly  useless  to  them.  They  are  now  on  the 
lookout  for  some  bayou  that  runs,  I  believe,  into 
Red  River,  which  they  propose  making  into  a  new 
Mississippi.  They  waste  much  time  and  breath, 
also  much  newspaper — if  we  were  timid  we  would 
be  overwhelmed  by  the  wonderful  things  which 
they  intend  to  do.  Judge  Montgomery  gave  us 
Seward's  letter  to  read — the  one  in  which  he 
declines  the  proffered  mediation  of  France.  I 
wonder,  really,  if  anyone  will  be  deceived  by  this 


156     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

plausible,  specious  letter.  Mr.  Seward  resembles 
the  ostrich  in  one  respect — he  does  not  put  his 
head  in  the  sand,  by  any  means — but  he  imagines 
other  people  can  not  see.  The  position  he  assumes 
for  his  Government  is  an  utterly  false  one.  He 
must  know  it.  Deception  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States'  Government  has  kept  up  this  cruel  war; 
it  remains  now  only  to  be  proved  that  people  are 
still  willing  to  be  blinded.  We  read  protest  after 
protest  in  Northern  papers  and  speeches — some 
of  them  really  noble  ones.  The  leaders  seem  to 
fear  no  longer  to  tell  the  truth  and  the  people  are 
rapidly  awakening  from  their  lethargy  and  blind 
ness.  The  people  who  have  been  unjustly  impris 
oned — now  at  liberty — are  to  meet  in  New  York 
on  the  4th  of  March.  I  think  on  that  occasion  the 
turning  of  periods  will  assist  wonderfully  in  the 
turning  of  minds  and  purpose.  There  is  some 
thing  awfully  exciting  in  the  voice  of  a  roused  and 
angry  people.  The  great  stakes  played  for  by 
this  people  and  all  the  world,  thrill  me  with  a  more 
tumultuous  interest  even  than  that  I  gave  in  my 
girlish  days  to  the  angry  barons  who  met  at 
Runnymede,  and  the  stormy  parliaments  that 
raved  at  Martyr  Charles.  How  history  re-creates 
itself,  or  how,  rather,  man  remains  the  same 
though  his  robes  are  changed. 

Called  for  Mrs.  R according  to  promise; 

met   at   the   church   door  Mr.  R — — ,  also  Miss 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     157 

Marcella   Wilkinson,   Mrs.    Stevens   and   others. 

Mrs.  R took  us  home  with  her.  Tried  not  to 

talk  war  with  Mr.  R ,  but  he  would  be  pro 
voking  (and  silly).  Stayed  until  eight,  and  got 
home  to  find  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burrows.  Here  was 
more  talk-wer  the  same  themes,  until  ever  so  late. 
I  like  them  both,  but  oh,  how  tired  I  was.  Could 
I  have  let  them  know  it?  How  can  we  but  regard 
a  species  of  deceit  as  a  peacemaker?  My  deceit, 
or  amiability  (there  are  two  names  for  every 
thing,  and  our  characters  depend  upon  the  point 
of  view),  sent  me  to  bed  tired  enough.  There  is  a 
camp  near  the  Burrows  house.  They  are  there 
fore  able  to  give  us  many  proofs  of  the  insubordi 
nation  and  demoralization  of  the  Federal  soldiers. 
At  12  o'clock  a  few  nights  ago  they  were  roused 
by  one  who  was  hiding  in  the  house  to  elude  the 
guard.  They  are  escaping  constantly,  and  Con 
federate  women  aid  them  by  giving  them  clothes. 
A  mulatto  woman  fined  three  dollars  for  singing 
a  Confederate  ballad.  An  exhibitor  of  portraits 
arrested  and  put  in  jail,  after  a  loss  of  his  pic 
tures,  for  exhibiting  Stonewall  Jackson  and  Lee. 
The  children  are  sometimes  arrested  for  their 
" Rebel"  cries  and  the  street  boys  hate  the  Yan 
kees  and  do  not  follow  them  in  their  most  brilliant 
turn  outs.  Our  Confederate  and  Livandais 
Guards  could  never  drill  or  march  without  a 
crowd. 


158     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

February  27th  [1863].  Invited  to  dine  at  Mrs. 
Dameron  's.  Went.  It  rained  all  day.  Had  quite 
a  defense  to  make  of  the  Episcopalians  and  Catho 
lics  to  Mrs.  White.  How  the  Methodists  do  hate 
other  denominations.  So  do  the  Presbyterians. 
I  rarely  hear  Episcopalians  speak  illiberally.  I 
hate  bigotry.  I  believe  that  the  churches  have 
aided  to  harden  people's  hearts  against  one  an 
other.  There  is  nothing  so  narrowing  as 
sectarianism. 

February  28th  [1863].  Intended  to  go  and  help 
Katy  Wilkinson  pack  to  go  out  with  her  mother,  but 
it  rained  too  hard.  Have  written  two  letters,  to 
Mrs.  Chilton  and  Claude  on  soft  Blockade  paper, 
we  call  it,  which  are  to  go  in  a  spool  of  cotton.  It 
is  a  great  deprivation  not  to  be  able  to  go  beyond 
these  hateful  lines  with  the  Wilkinsons.  But  I 
need  money.  Mrs.  Dameron  offered  me  some 
yesterday,  but  I  can  not  borrow.  Mrs.  Randolph, 
whose  husband  owes  us  for  a  few  months'  rent, 
offered  to  raise  it  for  me,  but  times  are  so  hard 
for  people  who  are  out  of  business,  and  who  came 
here  strangers  as  they  did  and  who  are  cut  off 
from  friends  who  might  aid  them,  that  we  told  her 
we  would  not  take  it  from  her,  even  should  she 
get  it  for  us.  I  felt  grateful  to  both  for  their 
heartfelt  interest  in  us  and  feel  that  we  have 
made  friends  for  life.  The  Campos  people  who 
owe  us  a  great  deal  are  also  in  trouble,  and  thank 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     159 

us  for  not  troubling  them.  Mr.  Lancaster  went 
off  in  fright  when  the  Yankees  came,  without 
paying  us.  Mrs.  Norton  has  money  owed  by  Mrs. 
Chilton  in  her  possession,  but  we  can  not  bear  to 
ask  for  it.  It  is  ours  really,  but  she  does  not 
offer  it.  So  here  we  are  a  fixture,  where  our 
hearts  are  almost  breaking.  From  the  little  store 
we  had  left,  an  acquaintance  borrowed  $300  "just 
until  my  husband  comes  in";  that  was  six  weeks 
ago,  and  no  word  of  it  yet.  I  would  not  ask  for 
so  small  a  sum,  but  I  greatly  fear  we  shall  need  it. 
I  have  visited  her  twice  and  she  has  been  here 
and  members  of  her  family,  and  it  would  be  some 
thing  for  an  outsider  to  pity  us  for  if  he  could 
note  our  hope  that  it  might  be  offered  us.  I  would 
pity  anyone  who  had  been  reduced  to  such  straits 
as  we  have.  All  through  others,  too,  and  a  weak 
ness  we  have  in  not  being  able  to  ask  for  our  own 
money.  If  I  could  get  outside  these  hateful  lines, 
I  could  use  my  Confederate  money,  and  Claude, 
poor  fellow,  could  perhaps  send  me  some  more, 
even  if  we  could  not  get  to  Texas.  Ah,  well,  some 
people  are  born  for  both  small  and  large  mishaps. 
But  enough  of  this — we  must  stay  here  until  the 
Blockade  is  over,  I  suppose — we  have  expended 
within  a  few  dollars  our  whole  stock  in  laying  in 
provisions  lately.  I  feel,  and  so  does  Ginnie,  the 
honest  principle  to  purchase  what  we  eat.  I  find 
myself,  since  the  hard  thoughts  have  taken  posses- 


160     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

sion  of  me,  doing  without  everything  at  the  table 
which  we  have  not  helped  to  buy.  These  are 
homely  details  indeed,  when-  the  Muse  of  History 
may  wander  at  will,  and  dignify  my  pages  with 
the  hopes,  fears,  sacrifices  and  misfortunes  of 
nations.  Garibaldi,  in  Italy;  Louis  Napoleon  in 
Mexico;  English  operatives  perishing  with  hun 
ger;  Exeter  Hall  jubilant  and  triumphant  over 
our  Southern  distress  and  what  they  call  the 
" Freed  negro  race";  battles  lost  and  won;  cities 
captured  and  recaptured;  a  virgin  soil  bathed 
with  the  blood  of  its  sons ;  a  nation  bathed  in  its 
tears;  a  new  Confederacy  and  a  new  flag  born 
into  the  world.  Ah,  Stars  and  Bars !  How  many 
years  will  it  be  before  you  float  in  an  unjust  cause 
over  fields  to  which  you  have  no  right !  All  these 
things  and  more  the  Tragic  Muse  and  her  sisters 
may  gather  and  record  in  this  awful  year  of  '63 — 
and  here  am  I  penning  the  common  items  which 
belong  to  a  suppressed  and  narrow  life ;  the  piti 
ful  details;  the  painful  platitudes;  the  weari 
some  monotony  incident  to  the  everyday  life  of 
two  women.  Well,  I  have  some  right  to  make  my 
cry  go  up  with  the  general  voice,  more  especially 
that  I  feel  indeed  that  I  "have  no  language,  but  a 
cry." 

Mrs.  Dameron  stayed  all  day  with  us.  A 
sweet,  earnest  little  soul.  She  is  not  demonstra 
tive,  but  we  have  been  made  to  feel  that  she  is 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     161 

fond  of  us.  I  rely  upon  her  wonderfully,  but  we 
have  few  thoughts  in  common.  Mrs.  Roselius 
spent  the  afternoon  with  us,  and  I  found  myself 
again  unaware  a  champion  of  a  religion.  A 

friend  of  Mrs.  R 's  has  joined  the  Catholic 

Church  and  she  has  "ceased  to  respect  her."  So 
runs  the  everyday  stream.  We  all  think  differ 
ently  and  hate  each  other  because  we  can  not  see 
alike.  With  the  standing  point  changed,  the  view 
would  alter,  too.  The  more  I  see  of  life,  the  more 
lonely  I  feel.  I  shall  never,  never  be  tempted  into 
a  church — a  membership  I  mean — sectarianism 
awes  and  disgusts  me,  yet  I  often,  often  covet  that 
brotherhood  feeling  which  the  members  of  one 
association  seem  to  enjoy.  A  common  cause; 
whether  it  be  religion,  politics  or  business  binds 
men,  though  they  may  hate  all  other  causes  be 
side.  My  ideas  meet  nobody's,  whether  they  are 
stirred  by  patriotism  (by  which  I  mean  loving  all 
that  is  good — not  claiming  all  among  my  country 's 
people,  boasting  only  of  what  is  good — not  claim 
ing  all  good  and  a  willingness  to  submit  to  much — 
to  all  trials — for  the  common  good  and  honor 
and  defence  of  home),  by  religion,  or  by  any  of 
the  high  or  low  possibilities  which  range  our  daily 
pathway.  My  ideas  meet  no  one's,  I  say  again, 
and  I  often  feel  an  isolation  of  heart  even  when 
meeting  with  general  kindness.  By  religion  I 
cannot  understand  anything  but  a  kindly  inter- 


162     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

pretation  of  human  action ;  a  gentle  forbearance 
with  all  efforts  of  the  human  heart  toward  God — 
whether  those  efforts  be  Catholic  or  Protestant. 
It  is  with  a  feeling  of  profound  wonder  and  awe 
even,  with  which  I  behold  the  common  idea  of 
hugging  salvation  for  one's  own  people  and  com 
munities — and  committing  all  others  to — to  say 
the  least  of  it,  to  some  undefined  horrors.  The 
general  satisfaction  under  such  a  state  of  things, 
I  say,  awes  me. 

I  wish  I  could  have  known  a  certain  poet  who 
lived  here  before  tjie  war — Capt.  Harry  Flash. 
I  wish  I  knew  Tennyson,  Hawthorne,  George 
Eliot  (Miss  Evans)  and  I  wish  I  could  journey 
back  far  enough  on  the  pathway  of  time  to  meet 
the  large,  untrammeled  gaze  of  Edmund  Burke. 
I  have  admired  the  sermons,  rather  the  philoso- 
phizings,  of  Ellery  Channing;  and  those  of  the 
Right  Reverend  Doctor  Clapp  of  this  city ;  to  me 
they  seem  imbued  with  Christ's  spirit,  though 
they  differ  in  letter  from  the  churches.  The 
" Great  Harmonia"  of  Jackson,  the  Spiritualist, 
is  a  work  which  has  met  and  convinced  my  reason, 
soothed  my  anxieties,  unraveled  my  perplexities, 
pleased  my  imagination,  lifted  my  aspirations, 
reconciled  much  of  paradox  to  my  mind  and 
tinged  with  far-off  hope  my  longings.  These 
books  my  friends  condemn.  All  authors  that  I 
love,  fall  under  the  ban  with  my  acquaintances. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     163 

I  allow  latitude — and  take  it — and  yet  it  is  a  lonely 
life  that  I  lead  now.  I  have  known  the  bliss  of 
meeting  of  thought,  but  it  is  gone,  and  never  on 
this  side  of  eternity  can  it  be  mine  again.  Our 
opinions  make  us — I  cannot  yield  mine. 

I  had  had  a  sort  of  enthusiastic  regard  for 
Beauregard,  but  to-day  I  heard  that  his  wife  has 
much  need  to  complain  of  him — I  was  told  by  one 
who  is  familiar  with  his  social  relations — in  an 
instant  the  feeling  in  my  heart  for  this  hero 
vanished,  and  a  pained  one  of  disappointment 
took  its  place — so  we  go  on  in  life  until  we  have 
nothing  left.  In  my  walk  this  afternoon  I  met 
little  Charley  Mushaway(?),  a  little  dark-eyed, 
fair-haired  beauty,  who  cheers  for  Beauregard 
and  Stonewall  Jackson  constantly.  I  did  not 
wish  him  to  cheer  for  Beauregard  to-day.  A  man 
is  as  nothing  to  me  who  sins  against  the  purity 
and  divinity  which  sits  by  his  hearthstone — Love. 
Saw  Mrs.  Wilkinson  and  the  girls — told  us  much 
of  matters  going  on  outside  of  the  lines.  She  is 
very  much  changed — grown  completely  gray  in 
one  month.  She  went  out  some  months  ago.  The 
death  of  her  husband  at  Manassas  having  reached 
her  as  a  rumor,  she  went  out  to  ascertain  its  truth. 
She  had  much  difficulty  in  getting  a  passport  out 
and  has  now  been  arrested  for  not  taking  the 
oath  upon  returning  to  see  her  children.  Some 
faces  relax,  even  under  great  grief,  but  she  seems 


164     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

even  to  have  forgotten  how  to  smile.  She  is  going 
out  with  her  children,  whenever  the  upstarts  will 
let  her.  Our  soldiers  outside  are  far  from  starva 
tion.  They  have  food  and  clothes,  even  coffee  in 
plenty.  Many  of  our  young  privates,  who  are 
from  the  best  families  in  the  land,  miss  thousands 
of  home  comforts,  but  there  is  no  desponding ;  no 
lack  of  spirit  and  determination  to  stand  until 
the  last  man,  rather  than  to  give  up  to  the 
Yankees. 


IV. 

MAKCH  1— MAKCH  15,  1863. 

March  1st  [1863].  Beautifully  clear— rather 
cold;  trees  all  in  bud  and  the  squares  opposite 
emerald  green  and  glittering.  Mary  Harrison, 
Ella,  Sissie  and  Ally,  their  brother,  called  on  their 
way  to  church.  Didn't  go  with  them.  Stopped  on 
their  way  back  and  waited  for  the  car — told  us 
of  the  welcome  to  Confederates  in  Lexington,  Ky., 
and  showed  us  a  likeness  of  Kirby  Smith,  which 
had  arrived  in  a  letter  from  that  city.  Smith 
looks  like  the  earnest,  brave  and  pious  soldier 
which  report  speaks  him.  This  likeness  is  some 
what  faded,  having  been  sunk  on  the  Ella  Warley 
on  her  way  from  New  York  and  recovered.  Two 
bags  of  letters  have  been  fished  up.  We,  Ginnie 
and  I,  cannot  help  hoping  that  the  one  granting  a 
power  of  attorney  to  the  Campos  family,  which 
will  enable  them  to  pay  us,  is  amongst  the  rescued. 
It  seems  that  the  common  thread  must  mingle  with 
that  which  Lachesis  lengthens  and  Atropos  severs. 
What  life  and  life  interests  must  have  gone  down 
on  the  Ella  Warley.  Mrs.  Eoselius  came  in  the 
evening  with  Mr.  Denman,  a  Yankee,  but  a  South 
ern  one.  Butler 's  arrival  in  New  York,  he  says, 
created  no  sensation.  His  arrival  was  not  pub- 

165 


166     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

lished.  The  flaming  accounts  we  had  read  here 
of  his  magnificent  reception,  were  little  more  than 
advertisements  of  a  non-existing  greatness,  paid 
for  by  Butler  himself.  This  wretch,  it  seems,  is 
in  favor  with  none  but  the  vile  Abolitionists. 
They  continuously  talk  of  sending  him  to  Charles 
ton,  or  back  to  this  city.  Charleston  is  not  taken 
yet — never  will  be — and  we  don't  believe  Butler 
would  risk  meeting  the  290  on  his  way  here.  I 
was  sorry  when  I  heard  he  had  been  made  much 
of  at  the  North.  For  I  am  humanitarian  enough, 
and  Christian  enough,  I  hope,  to  wish  to  see  a 
respect  for  right,  purity  and  justice  even  among 
enemies.  No  man  who  had  respect  for  himself, 
honesty,  truthfulness,  bravery  or  kindness  to 
women  would  take  Butler  by  the  hand.  The 
cause  of  humanity  is  served,  I  think,  when  such 
brutes  meet  their  deserts — universal  contempt. 
The  Federal  army  is  rich  in  brutes  and  brute 
force.  Mr.  Denman  gave  a  description  of  a  visit 
of  Stafford  (the  general  of  the  negroes)  to  the 
bank  last  summer.  He  came  in  with  a  shin- 
plaster,  and  with  a  horrible  oath  told  one  of  the 
bank  gentlemen  to  pay  the  amount  in  gold.  On 
being  told  that  there  was  no  gold,  but  that  small 
notes  would  be  issued  soon,  he  swore  terribly, 
drew  his  sword  and  flourished  it  in  the  wildest 
manner,  threatening  to  cut  their  heads  off.  Mr. 
D owned  that  he  was  as  afraid  of  him  as  he 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     167 

would  be  of  a  horned  devil.  "I'se  got  your  Mayor 
down  to  Fort  Jackson/7  said  Stafford,  grinding 
his  teeth,  " where  I  hope  the  mosquitoes  will  eat 

out  his  d d  heart."    And  more  of  this  sort. 

The  banker  looked  at  the  note  and  found  it  one 
of  the  coffee-house  issues,  with  which  the  city  last 
spring  was  flooded,  and  which  Butler  (very  prop 
erly)  had  ordered  to  be  redeemed,  said  he :  "This 
is  not  our  note;  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  it," 
whereupon,  Stafford  took  it  up  and  turned  round 
upon  a  crowd  of  women  and  children  who  had 
followed  him  into  the  bank,  flourishing  his  sword 
over  them  and  swearing  at  them.  This  creature  is 
below  the  city,  having  in  command  1,400  negroes, 
armed  and  equipped,  wearing  the  leather  belt 
which  other  soldiers  wear,  having  the  letters  U.  S. 
in  brass  upon  it.  The  once  honored  "Stars  and 
Stripes"  can  be  borne  by  such  hands  as  these. 
Many  of  the  negroes  in  camp  having  yielded  to 
temptation,  and  been  beguiled  by  Yankee  false 
hoods  into  running  away  from  their  masters,  now 
that  they  realize  their  position,  wish  to  return  to 
them.  But  Stafford  refuses  to  allow  them  to  go 
home.  We,  against  whom  these  poor  creatures 
are  arrayed,  have  no  fear  of  them,  at  least  as 
soldiers.  They  will  fly  at  the  first  fire.  Stafford, 
with  his  band,  have  been  committing  depreda 
tions  in  the  country,  but  their  gallant  efforts  have 
been  confined  to  house-breaking,  house-burning, 


168     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

chicken,  horse  and  cattle  stealing,  and  impudence 
to  white  people.  Nothing  more  clearly  defines  the 
subordinate  position,  or  the  real  justice  of  their 
position,  more  than  their  total  want  of  social  vir 
tues.  They  are  never  true  to  each  other,  either  in 
friendship  or  love.  And  even  the  maternal  tie  is 
not  strong  with  them.  Last  spring,  when  the 
Yankees  came,  and  even  before  then,  many  persons 
had  gone  into  the  country  with  their  house  ser 
vants,  very  often  leaving  behind  husbands  or 
wives  in  the  Confederacy.  I  know  of  many  in 
stances  where  such  interest  was  taken  by  their 
owners  that  they  have  written  or  sent  for  servants 
so  situated,  but  in  not  one  case  have  I  known  one 
to  go.  A  life  of  lounging  round  the  streets,  feeding 
at  the  expense  of  the  United  States  Government, 
has  proved  more  enticing  than  the  memories  of 
wife  or  child.  They  have  mostly  gotten  new 
mates.  Mrs.  Norton,  in  letters  from  her  family 
and  friends,  is  often  charged  with  messages  to 
servants  who  do  not  even  wish  to  hear  from  those 
that  are  gone.  /  was  once  an  Abolitionist,  and 
resented  for  this  race's  sake  their  position  in  the 
awful  scale  of  humanity.  But,  I  verily  believe, 
that  negroes  are  not  now  developed  creatures. 
What  they  may  be  sometime  I  can  not  prognosti 
cate,  but  I  do  believe  in  the  law  of  progress.  I 
call  to  mind  the  age  when  Britons  wore  skins,  and 
hope  for  all  things. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     169 

March  2nd  [1863].  Mr.  Randolph  was  here 
soon  after  breakfast.  He  sits  a  long  time  and 
talks  wonderfully  slow.  He  had  nothing  new  to 
tell  us  of  war  matters  and  Mrs.  Norton  gave  him 
a  cut  for  that — she  lives  entirely  on  the  daily 
events  without  connecting  them  in  her  philosophy 
with  other  events.  The  rumors  of  the  hour  and 
the  miserable  newspapers,  falsifying  one  day 
what  they  have  given  out  as  truth  the  day  previ 
ous,  filled  with  impossible  schemes  and  barefaced 
braggadocio,  fill  her  mind.  She  reads  scraps  of 
these  papers  to  us  before  we  are  up,  calling 
through  the  door  which  leads  to  her  room,  oftener 
opening  it  wide  so  we  are  put  to  straits  to  dress 
ourselves  in  private.  Whether  I  am  reading, 
writing,  or  thinking,  those  newspaper  scraps  are 
read  and  their  contradictory  jargon  mangle  and 
cut  into  pieces  any  idea  which  might  soothe  my 
brain,  whether  of  mine  or  another's.  Oh,  I  am  so, 
so  weary.  The  making  of  the  new  Mississippi 
channel  is  now  occupying  the  attention  of  the 
brave  authorities  here  and  elsewhere.  Therefore 
we  don't  expect,  as  we  have  been  expecting,  the 
great  attacks  at  Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg.  We 
had  a  solemn  "  extra "  out  this  morning  to  tell 
us  that  New  Orleans  is  to  be  made  an  island ;  so, 
also,  Vicksburg  and  Baton  Rouge.  Mary  Harri 
son  came  in  while  Mr.  Randolph  was  here  and 
read  the  "  extra  "  aloud  to  us.  We  laughed  a  good 


170     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

deal  over  Yankee  boasting.  Our  batteries  on  the 
river  which  they  have  been  saying  were  a  "mere 
nothing "  to  take,  are  now  to  be  "got  round. " 
The  great  armies  and  navies  of  the  United  States 
are  to  make  a  new  channel  for  themselves  imme 
diately  in  time  to  save  that  poor  old  Union. 
Nature  may  have  in  contemplation  some  changes 
in  the  bed  of  this  wonderful  river,  but  the  Yankees 
ere  in  this  matter — as  in  most  others — mere 
boasters.  The  people  at  large  are  deceived  that 
a  wretched  administration  may  rule  with  a  tyran 
nical  sway — they  are  robbed  that  public  function 
aries  may  fill  their  pockets,  speculators  run  riot. 
I  believe  the  Yankees  themselves  consider  they 
have  but  two  honest  men,  Burnside  and  the 
President. 

McClellan  is  not  a  favorite  with  the  party 
in  power,  though  his  soldiers  idolized  him,  and 
long  for  his  reestablishment.  We  had  a  great 
argument  at  Judge  Ogden's  one  night  whether 
McClellan  would  or  would  not  be  the  meanest  of 
mankind  if  he  again  should  accept  his  old  posi 
tion  as  Commander-in-Chief.  Ginnie,  Jule,  Lizzie 
and  myself  took  the  stand  that  no  man  belongs  to 
himself,  but  to  his  country,  if  his  country  needs 
him,  he  must  obey  her  call,  though  like  any  other 
mother  she  may  have  been  both  unjust  and  unkind 
to  him.  We  contended  that  McClellan  was  the 
only  approach  to  a  general  that  the  Yankees  could 


JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND     171 

boast ;  therefore,  if  he  really  loved  the  cause  and 
his  soldiers,  he  ought  to  accept  his  old  place  if 
offered,  besides,  we  argued,  his  defeat  was  the  re 
sult  of  a  party,  and  the  whole  country  rose  to 
welcome  him  on  his  return,  and  that  was  a  real 
triumph  for  him,  and  the  army  made  bitter  com 
plaints  about  his  recall.  Mr.  Randolph  and  Mary 
Harrison  sat  some  time,  and  the  latter  carried  me 
off  with  her  to  see  the  Wilkinsons,  leaving  Mr. 

R with  Ginnie  and  Mrs.  Norton.    I  am  afraid 

of  hurting  his  feelings,  as  he  is  very  sensitive; 
he  is  a  good  friend  of  ours  and  would,  I  believe, 
serve  us  in  any  way.  He  has  led  a  wild,  rambling 
life  in  Mexico,  Peru  and  other  places,  and  in  this 
way  has  neglected  many  means  of  education.  He 
would  have  made  a  fine  specimen  of  a  man  if  he 
had  had  the  proper  opportunities.  He  is  quick 
and  sagacious,  and  his  instinctive  judgment  of 
men  and  things  is  good.  His  ideas  have  much 
more  range  than  is  usual  with  city  men,  whose 
thoughts  (it  seems  to  me)  run  in  but  two  channels, 
pleasure  or  business.  But  his  expression  is  slow 
and  restricted ;  he  has  neglected  the  means  which 
would  have  aided  his  utterance.  This  man  has  a 
true  chivalry  of  nature,  which  makes  him  inter 
esting;  he  is  not  at  all  demonstrative  or  elegant 
in  manner,  yet  you  feel  instinctively  there  is  no 
meanness,  no  coarseness,  no  unkindness  in  his 
nature,  and  that  he  would  do  anything  for  a 


172     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

woman — for  a  woman — without  respect  to  her 
age  or  rank.  He  has  dubbed  himself  a  true  friend 
of  ours,  and  indeed  I  feel  that  sort  of  trust  in  him 
that  would  incline  me  to  call  on  him  in  any  trouble 
in  preference  to  earlier  friends.  His  brothers,  who 
happen  to  be  unmarried,  are  both  in  the  army; 
so,  also,  are  his  brothers-in-law,  and  owing  to  cir 
cumstances  he  is  compelled  to  remain  here  and 
take  care  of  his  family  and  the  family  of  his 
sister-in-law ;  she  has  three  children,  he  has  two ; 
they  are  all  quite  young,  timid  and  helpless.  He 
pines  to  be  in  the  army — his  brothers  have  written 
him  that  they  do  not  envy  his  position.  I  believe 
Southern  men  seldom  fear  in  battle  and  like  its 
terrible  excitements. 

Many  families  in  Vicksburg  have  caves  under 
their  houses  containing  stores  and  furniture,  to 
which  they  intend  to  retire  when  the  threatened 
bombardment  of  Vicksburg  takes  place.  The 

house  of  Mrs.  Eccleston,  in  which  Mrs.  W 

has  been  staying,  had  part  of  a  wall  and  the  tester 
of  a  bedstead  torn  away  in  the  last  engagement. 
Some  of  our  soldiers  imprisoned  by  the  Federals 
were  thrust  into  a  house  in  which  negroes  had  died 
of  smallpox.  These  prisoners  were  then  returned 
to  us  in  their  diseased  state — this  horror  has  since 
been  spreading  among  our  troops,  many  of  whom 
have  died,  though  we  keep  this  matter  as  secret 
as  possible.  Eefugees  from  New  Orleans  have 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     173 

been  received  into  all  houses  by  order  of  General 
Pemberton.  Our  soldiers  need  nurses,  lint  and 
bandages  more  than  anything.  Poor  fellows,  how 
I  long  to  go  out  and  take  them  something.  Mrs. 

M took  out  a  cheese  to  eat  on  the  way,  but  as 

she  did  not  touch  it,  gave  it  to  the  managers  of 
the  hospital  at  Vicksburg.  It  was  received  with 

delight  and  made  much  of.  I  left  Mary  H to 

get  through  her  visit  with  Mrs.  Pinkhard  alone, 
and  returned  home.  She  came  to  dinner  after  the 
visit  was  over;  said  she  had  found  some  of  our 
mutual  acquaintances  there  dressed  in  the  finest 
laces,  silks  and  jewels,  which  added  to  the  rather 

flashy  elegance  of  the  house,  made  Mary  H , 

just  from  the  pure  circle  of  the  Wilkinson's  dis 
coursing  on  our  trials  and  patriotic  struggles, 
and  the  homespun  which  many  ladies  wear, 
feel  as  if  she  were  in  another  world.  The  Misses 
Norcum,  rather  noted  for  extravagance  and 
worldliness,  entertained  her  with  their  exploits  on 
the  levee  the  day  of  the  trouble  there.  It  is  aston 
ishing  what  latitude  Miss  M.  Norcum  allows  her 
self.  She  says  she  has  gone  further  than  any 
other  woman  in  the  Confederacy.  Her  father  is 
not  rich,  but  she  dresses  extravagantly,  even  in 
these  times  when  wealthy  women  generally  feel 
the  cares  and  distress  of  the  day  too  much  to  en 
tertain  a  love  of  display.  Miss  Norcum 's  patriot 
ism  consists  in  making  saucy  speeches  to  and 


174     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

ugly  faces  at  the  Federal  soldiers.  She  does  not 
tell  her  father  what  she  does,  she  says.  She  comes 
of  good  blood;  she  has  had  the  education  and 
associations  of  a  lady,  and  is  old  enough  (being 
some  time  out  of  her  teens)  to  know  better.  Mary 
and  I  heard  of  hundreds  of  ludicrous  circum 
stances  connected  with  the  levee  fight.  "The 
Battle  of  the  Handkerchiefs/'  it  is  called,  is 
rather  a  good  poem  composed  to  honor  the  occa 
sion  and  which  I  will  copy  here.  Each  day  I  hear 
something  more  of  this  scandalous  scene.  A  Cap 
tain  or  Lieutenant  Thornton  on  General  Shep- 
ley's  staff  (I  won't  say  Governor  Shepley) 
was  speaking  of  the  Levee  Scene  to  a  lady.  "I 
would  have  managed  them  better, ' '  said  he.  '  *  And 
what  would  you  have  done,  sir!"  said  the  lady. 
"I  would  not  have  sent  for  cannon,"  said  this 
Yankee  knight,  "but  I  would  have  had  cavalry 
armed  with  cowhides,  to  ride  them  down,  whip 
ping  as  they  went  along. ' '  What  think  you  of  this, 
future  ages?  Those  are  the  civilizers  who  are 
prompted  by  pity  to  make  war  upon  us  lest  we 
should  become  too  savage,  when  entirely  cut  off 
from  Northern  influences. 

This  afternoon  a  great  troop  of  negroes 
were  escorted  by  our  door  by  Yankee  sol 
diers,  bearing  bayonets.  They  were  to  be 
taken  to  a  brick  yard  and  "put  to  work,"  the 
soldiers  said,  and  were  mad  enough  because  of  it. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     175 

I  could  but  pity  the  forlorn  looking  wretches  as 
they  went  by.  The  Federals  have  done  nothing 
worse  than  in  deceiving  this  race ;  they  have  been 
made  the  tools  of  both  politicians  and  army  offi 
cers.  Mr.  Syewart  brought  us  up  Blackwood's, 
containing  an  article  called,  "A  month's  stay  at 
Confederate  headquarters."  It  is  by  an  English 
officer  and  written  in  a  spirit  which  seems  won 
derfully  kindly  for  one  of  that  nation.  The  de 
scriptions  of  our  magnificent  Lee  and  Jackson, 
filled  my  heart  with  pleasure.  The  simple  elegance 
of  these  two  heroes  have  long  ago  captured  my 
imagination.  They  are  surrounded  by  no  state, 
living  like  their  men,  yet  they  are  venerated  and 
obeyed.  Our  people  are  described  as  being  brave 
and  earnest,  bearing  ever  in  their  hearts  the 
greatness  of  the  struggle,  and  a  willingness  for 
every  sacrifice  that  can  aid  it.  Read  an  article  by 
Wendell  Holmes  entitled,  "My  Hunt  for  the 
Captain."  He  met  many  "Rebel"  prisoners,  and 
they  were  all  dirty,  or  idiotic,  or  something  else 
which  was  hateful.  They  never  knew  for  what 
they  were  fighting,  except  in  one  instance,  and  he 
"loved  excitement."  Maryland  is  spoken  of  as  a 
State  entirely  "loyal"— this  I  know  is  false,  or 
why  have  Maryland  soldiers  crossed  the  blue, 
peaceful  Potomac  to  share  the  fortunes  of  their 
Southern  brothers ! 
March  5th  [1863].  We  have  company  all 


176     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

day  long.  I  think  I  prefer  the  fashionable  way  of 
receiving — only  on  reception  days.  I  hate  the 
custom,  but  acknowledge  the  wisdom  of  it.  I  can 
not  read,  write,  or  do  anything  I  wish,  people  are 
so  very  social.  Mrs.  Waugh  brought  us  an  armful 
of  books  this  morning.  She  is  so  kind,  so  true, 
that  she  is  no  restraint  on  one,  as  some  other 
people  are.  She  respects  and  comprehends  opin 
ion,  though  that  opinion  may  not  agree  with  her 
own.  She  is  accustomed  to  luxury,  but  is  so 
simple-mannered  that  I  do  not  mind  carrying  on 
any  of  my  work  before  her.  I  told  her  she  always 
saw  me  au  naturelle — she  laughed  and  said  she 
felt  highly  complimented.  I  wish  we  might  have 
her  for  a  neighbor  always.  She  says  we  shall  not 
be  separated  in  another  world.  I  willingly  give  a 
morning  to  her.  This  afternoon  there  were  others 
here,  but  somehow  they  slip  my  mind. 

The  Greatest  Victory  of  the  War,  La  Bataille  des 

Mouchoirs. 
Fought  Friday,  February  20th,  1863. 

Of  all  the  battles,  modern  or  old, 

By  poet  sung,  or  historian  told, 

Of  all  the  routs  that  ever  were  seen, 

From  the  days  of  Saladin  to  Marshal  Turenne, 

Of  all  the  victories  later  yet  won, 

From  Waterloo's  field  to  that  of  Bull  Run, 

All,  all  must  hide  their  fading  light 

In  the  radiant  glow  of  the  Handkerchief  Fight. 

And  a  paean  of  joy  must  thrill  through  the  land 

When  they  hear  the  deeds  of  Banks'  band. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     177 

'Twas  on  the  levee,  where  the  tide 

Of  Father  Mississippi  flows, 
Our  gallant  lads,  our  country's  pride, 

Won  this  victory  o'er  their  foes, 
Four  hundred  Rebels  were  to  leave 

That  morning  for  Secessia's  shades, 
When  down  there  came,  you'd  scarce  believe, 

A  troop  of  children,  wives  and  maids 
To  wave  farewells,  to  bid  God  speed, 

To  shed  for  them  the  parting  tear, 

To  waft  them  kisses,  as  the  meed 

Of  praise  to  soldier's  heart  most  dear. 

They  came  in  hundreds.     Thousands  lined 
The  streets,  the  roofs,  the  shipping  too, 

Their  ribbons  dancing  in  the  wind, 
Their  bright  eyes  speaking  love's  adieu. 

'Twas  then  to  danger  we  awoke, 

But  nobly  faced  the  unarmed  throng, 
And  beat  them  back  with  hearty  stroke, 

Till  re-inforcements  came  along. 
We  waited  long;    our  aching  sight 

Was  strained  in  eager,  anxious  gaze, 
At  last  we  saw  the  bayonets  bright 

Flash  in  the  sunlight's  welcome  blaze; 
The  cannon's  dull  and  heavy  roar 

Fell  greeting  on  our  gladdened  ear, 
Then  fired  each  eye,  then  glowed  each  soul, 

For  well  we  knew  the  strife  was  near. 

"Charge!"  rang  the  cry  and  on  we  dashed 

Upon  our  female  foes, 
As  seas  in  stormy  fury  lashed 

When'er  the  tempest  blows. 
Like  chaff  their  parasols  went  down, 

As  on  our  gallants  rushed, 
And  many  a  bonnet,  robe  and  gown, 

Was  torn  to  shreds,  or  crushed. 


178     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Though  well  we  plied  the  bayonet, 

Still  some  our  efforts  braved; 
Defiant  both  of  blow  and  threat 

Their  handkerchiefs  still  waved. 
Thick  grew  the  fight,  loud  rolled  the  din, 

When  "Charge!"  rang  out  again, 
And  then  the  cannon  thundered  in, 

And  sounded  o'er  the  plain. 

Down  'neath  the  unpitying  iron  heels 

Of  horses,  children  sank, 
While  through  the  crowd  the  cannon  wheels 

Mowed  rows  on  either  flank ; 
One  startled  shriek,  one  hollow  groan, 

One  head-long  rush,  and  then — 
Huzza,  the  field  was  all  our  own, 

For  we  were  Banks'  men. 

That  night  relieved  from  all  our  toils, 

Our  danger  past  and  gone. 
We  gathered  up  the  spoils 

Our  chivalry  had  won. 
Five  hundred  kerchiefs  had  we  snatched 

From  Rebel  ladies'  hands; 
Ten  parasols,  two  shoes  not  matched, 

Some  ribbons,  belts  and  bands, 
And  other  things  that  I  forget; 

But  then  you'll  find  them  all, 
As  trophies,  in  that  hallowed  spot, 

The  cradle — Faneuil  Hall. 

And,  long  on  Massachusetts'  shores, 
Or  on  Green  Mountain's  side, 

Or  where  Long  Island's  breakers  roar, 
And  by  the  Hudson's  tide, 

In  time  to  come,  when  lamps  are  lit, 
And  home-fires  brightly  blaze, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     179 

While  round  the  knees  of  heroes  sit 

The  young  of  happier  days, 
Who  listen  to  their  storied  deeds, 

To  them  sublimely  grand, 
Then  Glory  shall  award  its  meed, 

Of  praise  to  Banks'  band, 
And  Fame  proclaim  that  they  alone, 

In  triumph's  loudest  note, 
May  wear  henceforth,  for  valor  shown, 

A  woman's  petticoat! 

This  poem  is  written  by  no  one  knows  who,  and 
printed  sub-rosa.  An  order  was  issued  sometime 
back  by  General  Banks,  attaching  severe  penalties 
to  throw  scorn  upon  any  United  States  officer. 
This  order  was  issued  in  Butler's  behalf,  I  be 
lieve,  as  the  streets  were  at  one  time  filled  with 
accusatory  and  satirical  productions  inspired  by 
that  famous  general.  I  have  heard  that  Banks 
has  seen  this  poem  and  that  he  is  very  angry.  I 
have  heard,  too,  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with 
having  the  cannon  sent  upon  the  women  and  chil 
dren,  and  that  the  infamy  of  the  whole  affair  rests 
with  Colonel  French.  Oh,  well,  I  have  also  a  sur 
reptitious  ode  commanding  this  dear  Crescent 
City  to  " Cheer  up,"  so  I  suppose  that  our  day 
is  coming.  Thornton  wanted  the  Cavalry  armed 
with  cowhides. 

Mrs.  Norton  has  a  written  bet  on  hand  with 
Mayor  Miller — formerly  on  Shepley's  staff — that 
Port  Hudson  would  yield  to  Federal  forces  on  or 
before  the  4th  of  July.  The  stake,  a  basket  of 


180     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

champagne.  Mrs.  Norton  advised  him  to  marry  a 
Southern  heiress  and  to  change  his  politics.  I 
would  not  let  the  upstart  think,  even  in  jest,  that 
a  Southern  woman  would  marry  him.  He  is  good 
natured,  but  to  my  certain  knowledge  he  is  not 
honest.  He  lives  in  a  "captured  house "  and  broke 
open  the  trunks  which  Mrs.  Brown  left  there,  in 
search  of  sheets  and  table  cloths.  This  he  said 
himself. 

The  Indianola  war  ram  has  been  captured  by 
the  Confederates.  She  passed  the  batteries  at 
Vicksburg  between  the  coal  barges,  which  we  also 
have  taken.  She  was  boarded,  and  the  Queen  of 
the  West,  which  had  also  passed  the  batteries  and 
been  previously  captured,  was  used  in  the  fight 
against  her  old  friend.  She  now  floats  another 
flag.  We  now  have  the  river  between  Vicksburg 
and  Port  Hudson  free  of  Federal  vessels.  Our 
trade  from  Red  River,  on  which  our  soldiers  so 
much  depend,  is  still  undisturbed.  The  last  New 
York  papers  seem  quite  jubilant  because  their 
boat  succeeded  in  passing  the  stronghold — but 
they  were  captured  even  before  the  news  of  the 
passing  reached  there.  We  are  getting  quite  a 
navy.  We  have  captured  so  much  in  Virginia, 
that  the  letters  U.  S.  are  stamped  upon  most 
everything  we  use — even  the  wagons  and  horses. , 
Captain  Semmes  has  been  entertained  at  Kings 
ton,  and  made  a  speech.  People  are  anxiously 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     181 

looking  for  French  recognition.  Louis  Napoleon 
is  a  deep  character.  I,  for  one,  have  no  faith  in 
his  disinterestedness,  and  I  am  afraid  to  accept 
an  overture  of  any  sort  from  him.  Should  we  be 
entangled  with  his  politics  I  think  our  people 
would  have  more  to  remember  than  Louis  XVI 
gave  our  forefathers.  Recognition,  perhaps,  is 
our  due,  and  nothing  withholds  it  but  a  selfish  fear 
of  being  accused  of  being  too  anxious  to  divide 
these  States.  That  Europe  desires  the  separation, 
we  have  had  proof.  Intervention  (armed)  I  do 
not  want.  We  have  sustained  ourselves  so  mag 
nificently,  that  I  feel  a  pride  to  fight  all  our  own 
battles— fight  them  we  can,  both  on  sea  and  land. 
March  6th  [1863].  Rained  hard  all  day  long. 
Could  but  pity  the  Federal  soldiers  soaking  out 
at  Camp  Weitzel.  Could  but  pity  ourselves,  too, 
shut  up  all  day  long  with  one  who  has  not  an  idea 
in  common  with  ourselves,  but  who  will  insist  in 
talk  about  the  war  all  the  time,  stopping  long 
enough  only  to  read  the  same  sort  of  boasting 
stuff  in  the  newspapers  which  have  been  filling 
them  for  months.  Oh,  how  tired  I  am.  I  have  never 
known  before  what  ennui  or  loneliness  meant,  ex 
cept  when  with  uncongenial  company.  Mrs.  N 

thinks  we  feel  no  interest  in  the  war — if  we  don't 
have  peace  soon  I  think  I  shall  soon  lose  my 
senses.  We  had  an  "extra"  this  afternoon  which 
I  read  aloud.  Nothing  in  it  worth  the  trouble. 


182     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

The  loss  of  our  Nashville  boat  and  the  capture  of 
the  Indianola  and  coal  barges  being  all  known 
before.  I  looked  out  just  as  I  was  going  to  bed; 
beautiful  sight  after  a  day  of  storm.  The  wet 
streets  lay  like  pure  silver  beneath  a  lustrous  full 
moon  and  stars,  and  soft  white  clouds  strode  the 
blue  as  peacefully  as  if  we  were  all  good  and 
happy  here  below.  The  stars  used  to  calm  my 
most  wretched  moods — now  they  fill  me  with  an 
unutterable  longing. 

7th.  Mrs.  Harrison  called  to  say  that  someone 
would  take  out  a  letter  for  us  all.  I  had  a  disap 
pointment  in  that  way  a  few  days  ago.  A  man  who 
was  to  have  run  out  a  schooner,  was  arrested  and 
all  his  goods  seized.  Katy  Wilkinson  has  sent  us 
some  more  work,  as  we  had  often  pressed  her  to 
do.  We  have  sewed  belts  on  pieces  of  dark  cloth, 
doubled, which  are  to  be  worn  on  the  girls'  persons 
as  skirts,  and  after  crossing  the  lines,  to  be  worn 
on  the  back  of  some  Confederate  soldier.  Heaven 
send  that  the  girls  be  not  searched.  They  say 
they  would  not  permit  it.  I  would  not  let  one  of 
the  infamous  creatures  touch  me.  Mrs.  Andrews, 
the  wife  of  the  Lieutenant  at  whose  house  Mrs. 
Wilkinson  was  imprisoned,  was  one  of  the  women 
who  volunteered  to  search  the  ladies  who  went 
out  last  time.  She  was  at  first  very  rude  to  Mrs. 

W ,  but  that  lady  having  one  day  asked  for 

her  daguerrotype,  she  was  so  flattered  by  the  re- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     183 

quest  that  she  not  only  went  down  town  and  had 
it  immediately  taken,  but  has  been  in  a  good, 
polite  humor  ever  since.  She  did  not  know  that 
Mrs.  W-  -  only  wanted  her  likeness  that  she 
might  show  the  features  of  her  jailer  in  the  future 
to  her  children.  Mrs.  Harrison  reports  that  all 
the  soldiers  have  been  sent  from  Camp  Weitzel 
and  Carrollton  up  the  river.  They  have  gone  to 
Baton  Rouge,  and  we  suppose  that  means  that 
there  will  soon  be  an  attack  upon  Port  Hudson. 
The  Yankee  Era  reports  the  Confederate  capture 
of  the  Yankee  vessel  No.  2  between  Port  Hudson 
and  Vicksburg.  Mr.  Randolph  brought  us  the 
news  that  fighting  is  going  on,  or  suspected  of 
going  on,  at  Baton  Rouge,  our  side  having  made 
the  attack.  Stonewall  Jackson  reported  there. 
Oh,  how  I  should  like  to  see  him!  There  is  ex 
citement  of  some  nature  afloat.  Troops  are  being 
sent  off  and  artillery  has  been  taken  from  the 
square  above  us.  Our  people  down  town  seem 
greatly  aroused.  Mr.  R—  -  said  a  thousand  men 
could  take  this  city  now.  I  proposed  to  him  that 
he  should  seriously  try  to  get  his  friends  to  join 
him  in  such  an  undertaking.  There  are  twenty 
thousand  men  in  this  city  who  could  aid  our 
people  if  agreed.  It  is  thought  that  the  Federals 
do  not  wish  to  attack  either  Port  Hudson  or 
Vicksburg.  They  do  not  wish  to  bring  matters  to 
a  crisis.  They  cannot  depend  on  their  men.  A 


184     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

transport  came  up  the  river  yesterday  evening, 
the  soldiers  upon  which  being  drunk  sang  the 
"Bonnie  Blue  Flag"  and  shouted  for  Jeff  Davis. 

The  last  Caucasian  says  that  there  are  now  but 
two  parties  in  the  United  States — one,  that  of 
Jeff  Davis,  who  supports  the  Constitution,  and 
that  of  Lincoln  who  tramples  on  it.  Our  Major 
Prados,  who  was  murdered  by  a  deserter,  was 
buried  yesterday;  his  funeral  was  larger  than 
that  of  Dreux,  the  first  New  Orleans  officer  who 
fell  in  the  war.  Banks  sent  word  to  the  crowd 
that  it  must  disperse,  and  that  only  the  friends 
of  Major  Prados  should  attend  him  to  the  grave. 

"Tell  General  Banks, "  returned  the  people, 
"that  we  are  all  his  friends."  A  very  good  an 
swer,  I  think.  Someone  remarked  to  Banks  that 
this  was  called  a  Union  city.  "A  Union  city,"  re 
turned  Banks  with  contempt;  "I  could  carry 
every  Union  man  in  it  on  a  hand-car. ' '  Such  is  the 
fact,  really,  and  I  can  but  mourn  that  so  many 
took  the  oath  when  that  wretched  Butler  was  here. 
I  do  not  wonder  at  timid  people  yielding,  but  I 
do  wonder  at  that  want  of  unity  among  an  op 
pressed  people  which  would  have  protected  them. 
Butler  could  not  have  revenged  himself  upon  a 
whole  town.  No  man  or  woman  seemed  to  think 
that  he  or  she  would  have  been  supported  in  re 
sistance,  and  therefore  did  not  attempt  any.  We 
fortunately  made  up  our  minds  not  to  take  it. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     185 

And  if  the  whole  town  had  yielded,  we  would  not 
have  done  so.  People  crowded  so  to  take  the  oath, 
that  we  were  under  the  impression  that  but  a  few 
intended  to  resist,  and  that  those  few  would  be 
certainly  punished.  So  we  tied  up  a  few  treasures 
which  were  to  go  to  prison  with  us,  and,  with  some 
fluttering  maybe,  waited  our  fate.  Another  ex 
pedition  into  the  Tech  country  under  Weitzel. 
More  desolation  of  homes.  'Tis  to  be  hoped  that 
Sibley,  or  some  of  our  men,  will  be  there  to  de 
fend.  We  are  such  prisoners  here  that  we  know 
nothing.  The  Essex  war  steamer  has  been  chased 
by  our  Confederate  Queen  of  the  West,  and  is  so 
damaged  that  she  is  pumping  water.  Caucasion 
newspapers  all  suppressed.  One  smuggled  sold 
for  75  cents.  Banks  has  offered  $500.00  reward 
for  the  discovery  of  the  person  who  wrote  "La 
Bataille  des  Mouchoirs."  Banks  denies  having 
anything  to  do  with  sending  cannon  and  artillery 
down  upon  the  women  and  children.  Farragut 
disclaims  the  whole  affair  of  having  had  the 
women  and  children  carried  down  the  river  in  a 
boat  and  kept  there  until  the  next  day.  They  are 
much  mortified — report  says. 

March  8th  [1863].  Clear  and  beautiful,  this 
Sunday  morning.  Orange  trees  in  full  bloom  and 
roses,  honeysuckle  and  jessamine  scenting  the 
air.  Too  warm.  Spring  with  all  its  beauty  is  a 
desolate  season  with  me.  I  miss  the  kindly  blaze, 


186     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

the  bracing  atmosphere  and  even  the  lonely  sad 
tone  of  the  winter  wind.  There  is  something  sad 
in  seeing  all  things  renewed  but  one's  self.  Chil 
dren  finely  dressed  are  hurrying  to  Sunday 
school.  Mrs.  Norton  in  her  best,  getting  ready 
for  church.  I  do  not  feel  like  going.  I  wish  I  had 
some  vent  for  myself,  whether  it  were  church  go 
ing  or  visiting.  I  feel  so  lonely-hearted  always. 
Yesterday  afternoon  I  was  mortified,  being  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life  the  occasion  of  a  servant 's 
falsehood.  Often  I  have  allowed  myself  to  be 
persecuted  by  trifling  converse  rather  than  to 
send  a  false  "Not  at  home,"  or  a  rude  "Beg  to  be 
excused. ' '  After  dinner  Ginnie  and  I  felt  tired  and 
not  quite  well — we  had  exhausted  ourselves  talk 
ing  with  Mrs.  Norton  and  Mr.  Randolph,  and  as 
Mrs.  Norton  had  gone  down  town,  we  thought  we 
would  refuse  all  that  called  and  have  a  quiet  time. 

Ginnie  told  Jane  to  say  that  Mrs.  N was  out 

and  that  we  were  not  well.  Mrs.  Wells  and  Mrs. 
Montgomery  called.  We  heard  Jane  say  "Not  at 
home ' '  for  all  of  us.  Called  her  up  afterward  and 
gave  her  a  lecture  on  story-telling.  She  said  she 
couldn  't  say  we  did  not  want  to  see  anybody.  Mrs. 
Roselius  came;  heard  her  tell  the  same  thing.  I 
was  not  dressed,  or  should  have  contradicted  her 
in  person.  I  was  nervous  really — partly  because 
Mrs.  R—  -  is  accustomed  to  pass  through  our 
room,  or  would  peep  through  the  blind  on  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     187 

gallery  to  find  if  we  were  in.  She  retreated  before 
I  could  get  ready.  Mr.  Dudley  called;  Mrs. 
Callender — all  shut  up.  Presently  Mrs.  Norton 
returned,  bringing  Mrs.  Roselius  with  her  and 
Jaque.  The  impudent  little  fellow  had  to  open 
wide  our  door  and  make  some  remark  about  our 
being  shut  in  the  dark.  We  felt  mortified,  but  did 
not  go  out.  Indeed  there  should  be  some  decent, 
yet  truthful,  way  of  denying  one's  self  to  people 
when  one  is  weary  and  out  of  spirits.  After  tea, 
Mrs.  Dameron  and  Mrs.  White  called  and  sat  for 
a  while.  I  went  down  to  the  gate  with  them  and 
stood  alone  a  little  while  looking  upon  the  night. 
A  full  moon  struggling  with  heavy  clouds ;  patches 
of  blue  sky  and  a  few  sweet  stars.  "  Custom  can 
not  stale  "  the  infinite  variety  of  the  world  above 
us — the  voices  of  the  vast  eternity  are  never  trite, 
and  the  emotions  they  inspire  never  weary — they 
are  ever  fresh,  though  as  old  as  the  world. 

Mary  Ogden  in  from  Greenville  this  morning. 
The  Yankees  took  away  everything  from  the 
camp,  she  says,  and  burned  everything  they  could 
not  carry — not  expected  back  in  that  region. 
Mary  brought  a  letter  from  her  friend,  Roberta 
Archer,  of  Baltimore,  to  read  to  us.  She  writes 
as  a  Unionist — though  a  warm  Southerner — and 
in  this  way  can  tell  us  much  of  the  position  of 
things  in  Old  Maryland.  She  is  thoroughly  out  of 
spirits  about  the  political  situation  in  her  native 


188     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

State.  That  Lee  was  not  reenforced  and  welcomed 
by  her  country  people,  she  is  grieved  and  morti 
fied.  The  Southern  cause  is  warmly  supported  by 
the  women  and  those  men  who  have  gone  to  the 
Southern  battle  fields  are  in  high  favor.  Men,  it 
seems,  make  the  excuse  of  "Want  of  arms"  in 
Maryland,  as  they  do  here.  I,  too,  am  distressed 
about  Maryland's  position.  I  would  not  have  be 
lieved  once  that  the  dear  old  State  would  have 
stood  calm  when  the  South  was  trampled  on. 
However,  many  of  her  sons  have  left  all  to  fight 
for  a  cause  which  their  State  has  not  adopted. 
They  are  noble  fellows  and  will  be  exiles  hence 
forth.  God  help  this  ruined  land.  I  would  rather 
that  Maryland  should  help  to  form  a  new  Con 
federacy  than  to  remain  a  dishonored  member 
of  this  one.  There  will,  I  expect,  eventually  be 
formed  three  Confederacies,  if  not  now.  New 
England  should  remain  alone. 

Sammy  Erwin  has  just  come  in  to  tell  us  that 
his  sister,  Mrs.  Chalmers,  is  going  to  be  sent  out 
to-morrow  and  wants  to  see  us.  His  brother, 
Stanhope,  they  have  just  heard,  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Murfreesboro.  Went  to  see  Em — Mrs. 
Chalmers — on  Sunday ;  found  much  company  and 
had  a  full  view  of  General  Miles '  house  and  yard, 
which  are  now  occupied  by  Yankees.  The  privates 
were  wrestling  and  tumbling  over  in  the  yard  and 
out  by  the  street  gate,  looking  wholly  unim- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     189 

pressed  by  the  great  questions  now  at  issue.  I 
detached  myself  as  much  as  possible  from  the 
general  converse  and  speculated  in  my  usual  way. 
No  one  talks  anything  but  war-talk.  At  home  and 
abroad  the  eternal  Yankee  is  dinned  into  my  ears. 
I  feel  an  intense  interest  in  this  terrible  struggle — 
it  underlies  almost  my  every  thought  and  action, 
and  my  alternate  hopes  and  fears  as  to  future 
events  have  worn  me  mentally  and  physically,  so 
much  so,  that  a  "waiting-for-the-war- to-be-over  " 
feeling  has  paralyzed  my  every  energy.  It  is  for 
this  reason — because  I  have  suffered  and  do  suf 
fer  so  much — I  am  soon  wearied  by  the  trivial 
details  of  the  hour,  even  though  the  war  and  the 
Yankees  give  them  birth.  I  found  Sarah  looking 
badly  and  Em  is  not  to  leave  to-morrow.  She  is 
awaiting  Yankee  orders.  I  do  not  think  that 
either  she  or  the  Wilkinsons  will  be  sent  out  till 
that  awful  affair  at  Port  Hudson  is  over.  Em  is 
not  to  be  allowed  to  carry  more  provisions  with 
her  than  are  to  be  actually  needed  on  the  journey. 
"I  presume  you  will  find  plenty  when  that  is  over, 
madame, ' '  says  satirical  Mr.  Officer,  which  meant, 
"I  know  that  they  are  half  starving  in  the  Con 
federacy,  but  if  you  are  silly  enough  to  go  there, 
you  must  abide  the  consequences. ' '  These  officers 
ask  numberless  insolent  (necessary?)  questions 
when  applied  to  for  passports.  They  are  gruff 
or  otherwise,  as  the  humor  takes  them.  "Why 


190     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

don't  you  stay  here  and  take  your  tea  and  coffee 
in  peace?"  Bow  en  asked  of  Ginnie.  "  Those  peo 
ple  in  the  Confederacy  can't  let  you  have  any 
thing  to  eat  out  there."  "I  don't  fear  depriva 
tions  outside  the  lines,"  said  Miss  Pride.  I  met 
the  Misses  Pritchard  at  Sarah's,  daughters  of  a 
lady  quite  famous  in  Confederate  sewing  socie 
ties  and  all  sorts  of  associations.  They  are  grace 
ful  girls;  not  very  pretty,  but  intelligent,  filled 
with  sublime  contempt  for  the  Yankees.  They  are 
Philadelphia  people.  These  adopted  Southerners 
are  much  hotter  than  we,  strange  to  say.  Butler 
poured  out  particular  venom  on  this  class. 

I  left  Doctor  Glen's  early  and  called  on  the  Wil 
kinsons  ;  met  there  Doctor  Fenner,who  told  us  that 
our  big  " Rebel  Ram"  is  finished,  and  has  run  out 
of  the  Yazoo  and  is  now  lying  at  Vicksburg.  She 
will  soon  begin  to  write  her  history.  I  hope  the 
fate  of  the  ram  Arkansas  will  not  be  hers.  After 
the  Arkansas'  brilliant  dash  from  the  Yazoo  last 
summer,  through  the  whole  Federal  fleet,  fight 
ing  her  way  safely  to  Vicksburg,  a  thrill  of  en 
thusiasm  and  admiration  passed  through  us  poor 
prisoners  here,  lighting  our  way,  as  it  were.  This 
feeling  ended  in  a  postive  personification  of  the 
boat,  and  we  spoke  of  our  grim-faced  champion 
as  though  it  were  a  human  being.  We  loved  it 
and  felt  protected,  even  from  afar.  The  Federal 
accounts  of  its  passage  through  the  great  fleet, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     191 

proved  what  a  splendid  and  wonderful  thing  had 
been  done,  and  after  vessel  after  vessel  had  given 
her  broadsides  and  left  her  unharmed,  we  began 
to  feel  towards  the  Arkansas  as  the  mother  of 
Achilles  must  have  felt  toward  that  invulnerable 
(vulnerable)  hero  after  she  dipped  him.  We 
were  sure  she  was  invulnerable,  so  after  the  battle 
of  Baton  Rouge,  when  news  of  her  death  and  de 
struction  came  to  us,  we  indignantly  rejected  such 
wild  beliefs.  For  weeks,  for  months,  the  matter 
aroused  warm  discussions.  One  said,  "It  was  a 
ruse  of  ours,  the  Arkansas  would  stir  our  blood 
again  and  yet  again."  Another  contended  that 
she  had  been  blown  up  by  our  own  people,  be 
cause  her  machinery  had  failed.  Of  course  many 
resisted  the  idea  of  inefficiency  in  our  pride  and 
pet.  "No,  we  would  not  believe  it,"  and  so  we 
did  not  for  months.  Indeed  our  faiths  pro  and 
con  were  sadly  confused  by  the  reports  of  eye 
witnesses.  This  man  had  seen  her  blown  up — 
the  other  had  seen  her  captured  and  finished  by 
the  Essex  (Federal),  while  yet  another  had  seen 
her  towed  off  in  safety  toward  Vicksburg.  (Later 
accounts.)  This  lady  knew  a  reliable  gentleman 
who  had  just  run  the  blockade — he  could  swear 
that  he  had  seen  the  Arkansas  on  such  a  day 
under  the  batteries  safe  at  Vicksburg.  This  was  to 
be  kept  a  great  secret,  both  as  regarded  the  ram 
and  the  blockade-runner — this  reliable  gentleman, 


192     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

through  fear  of  the  meddling  Butler,  was  never 
forthcoming,  and  so  we  went  on  keeping  his  secret 
with  all  our  might,  only  whispering  it  throughout 
our  various  circles.  I  know  a  gentleman  (Doc 
tor  Camel)  who  still  believes  in  the  Arkansas. 
On  this  day,  March  8th,  Mr.  Randolph  knows 
a  man  who  is  hold  enough  to  say  that  he  knows  she 
is  safe.  Queer  world  this. 

People  are  beginning  to  look  forward  to  an  at 
tack  on  this  place  once  more.  I  do  not  intend  to 
get  excited  as  I  did  last  summer.  How  often  was 
I  told  as  I  lay  down  at  night  to  put  a  dark  dress 
by  my  bedside,  as  the  Confederates  would  be  here 
by  morning.  Dozens  and  dozens  of  nights  were 
appointed  for  the  attack,  and  dozens  of  mornings 
broke  in  disappointment  to  thousands.  We  be 
lieve  now  but  for  the  loss  of  our  dear  ram  we 
would  have  had  the  city  back  long  ago,  though 
croakers  cry,  " Never  again;  except  by  treaty. " 
I  was  among  those  croakers  at  first.  I  felt 
we  could  never  get  it  back  the  sad  ignomin 
ious  day  it  fell,  but  I  grew  into  a  more 
hopeful  state  after  awhile  and  joined  with  some 
faith  the  whispering  conclaves.  How  often  we 
imagined  we  heard  the  guns  at  the  Fort,  I  could 
not  at  this  time  safely  determine,  but  their  attack 
and  fall  were  often  talked  over  enough  in  the  dim 
twilight  to  stir  my  blood.  What  deeds  of  valor 
and  devotion  were  we  not  to  perform.  We  partly 


MRS.   R.  A.   WILKINSON 

Of   "Pointe   Celeste"   plantation,   Louisiana 


JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND     193 

rose  from  the  sluggish  channel  in  which  sorrow 
had  made  us  float  so  long.  I  do  not  think  that 
either  Gin  or  myself  would  fear  in  battle — we  are 
too  sad-hearted.  The  town  is  in  Federal  hands 
still,  but  after  long  silence  on  this  momentous 
topic,  men  and  women  begin  again  to  whisper  of 
attack.  General  Banks,  Farragut  and  fleet  have 
left  for  Baton  Rouge  to  aid  the  attack  at  Port 
Hudson.  This  place  is  now  poorly  defended,  and 
we  might  take  it  if  the  290  and  Greta  were  here. 
I  would  rather  get  it  by  treaty,  oh,  so  much — 
there  would  be  no  blood  shed  then,  but  if  I  say 
so  before  Mrs.  Norton  it  raises  a  perfect  storm. 
I  would  fight  as  bravely  as  she,  if  the  city  is  at 
tacked  and  needs  women's  help,  but  I  cannot  help 
nourishing  a  hope  that  the  fights  at  all  the  differ 
ent  points  may  be  delayed  until  some  decision  is 
arrived  at  in  Congress,  which  will  leave  us  a  free 
people  without  further  shedding  of  blood.  Why 
desolate  more  homes;  especially  why  slaughter 
more  of  these  poor  wretches,  more  than  half  of 
whom  are  in  open  insubordination  with  their  own 
authorities,  who  are  deserting  to  us  constantly? 
Bayonets  were  drawn  on  the  poor  fellows  who 
refused  to  embark  for  the  attack  on  Port  Hudson. 
The  men  do  not  wish  to  fight  us,  they  openly  say  so. 
There  are  many  ways  to  get  together  an 
army  in  any  cause — many  of  these  men  have 
joined  for  bread.  Mrs.  Norton  wants  the  negroes 


194     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

all  killed,  too,  "because  they  listened  to  Yankee 
lies."  This  is  being  no  greater,  wiser  or  better 
than  Wendell  Phillips,  who  wants  all  slave  holders 
killed.  What  a  world  this  is.  The  North  is  hating 
England  for  her  sympathy  with  us,  and  for  the 
help  she  has  given  us — we  are  hating  her  because 
she  does  not  give  us  recognition,  because  she  did 
not  long  ago.  If  the  extremists  were  not  held  in 
check  by  a  more  humane  class,  the  earth  would 
soon  be  depopulated.  I  hear  numbers  of  humane 
sentiments  from  true  Southern  people  who  would 
fight  our  enemies  bravely,  but  who  do  not  hate 
them.  When  Judge  Ogden's  house  was  guarded 
he  had  a  fire  made  in  an  outhouse  for  the  poor 
desolate-looking  fellows  to  warm  themselves  by, 
and  Mary  Ogclen  gave  the  sick  medicine,  toast  and 
coffee  that  she  made  for  them  herself.  She  was 
' '  too  good  to  be  a  Rebel, ' '  one  poor  wretch  said — 
the  whole  family  are  registered  enemies.  Saw 
the  picture  of  Mrs.  Lieutenant  Andrews  at  Mrs. 
Wilkinson 's.  She  had  it  taken  with  great  alacrity 

when  Mrs.  W asked  her.    She  does  not  know 

she  is  to  figure  in  the  family  annals  as  the  keeper 

of  The  Female  Bastile.     Mrs.    W still    has 

to  report  herself ;  it  rained  for  two  days,  heavily, 
and  she  did  not  go  down,  and  therefore  received  a 
message  from  Lieutenant  Andrews  that  if  she 
did  not  report  herself  before  4  o'clock  that  day, 
he  Would  send  a  sergeant  after  her.  Has  the 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     195 

world  ever  seen  before  a  woman  on  parole!  A 
woman,  old  and  delicate,,  a  lady,  wholly  uncon 
nected  with  politics  of  any  sort,  who  went  over 
the  lines  because  a  report  of  her  husband's  death 
had  reached  her,  and  who  returned  to  her  chil 
dren!  Mr.  Randolph  says  'tis  a  pity  that  the 
Confederates  take  no  women  prisoners — if  they 
did,  Mrs.  W might  be  exchanged. 

March  13th  [1863].  I  have  been  sick,  and  am 
nervous,  mentally  and  physically.  I  am  enjoying 
though  to-day  my  first  quiet  moments  for  a  long 
time.  Ginnie  and  I  are  alone,  as  in  our  own  home. 
Mrs.  Norton  and  all  have  gone  to  Greenville  to 
pass  the  day  with  the  Ogdens.  We  told  Mary  we 
would  come  another  time.  Mrs.  Norton  wanted 
as  to  go ;  the  more  the  merrier,  she  said,  but  Ginnie 
was  sick,  a  good  excuse,  for  poor  Ginnie  loves 
quiet  better  than  anything  now. 

Indeed  we  have  not  been  alone  together  for 
days.  The  Ogdens,  the  Harrisons,  the  Waughs, 
the  Randolphs,  Mrs.  Callender,  Mrs.  Roselius,  and 
ever  so  many  other  people  have  been  here  and  sat 
by  my  bed  and  talked  and  talked  and  talked.  I 
have  not  that  sort  of  tact  which  enables  one  to 
dismiss  friends  pleasantly — no  matter  how  I  feel,  I 
must  bear  it,  and  Ginnie  is  like  me.  We  have  been 
very,  very  gloomy  and  unwell,  yet  never  alone. 
When  outside  friends  go  home,  Mrs.  Norton  reads 
in  her  dreadful  style  these  hateful  newspapers 


196     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

aloud.  She  knows  we  hate  them,  "But  people 
ought  to  take  interest/'  she  says;  "That  is  not 
her  way" — "She  don't  know  how  people  can  do 
so, ' '  and  she  goes  on  until  we  are  most  distracted. 
Every  advertisement,  every  negro  arrest  is 
drawled  out  and  stumbled  over.  She  sits  in  her 
room,  has  the  door  opened  between  us  and  begins 
before  we  are  dressed  in  the  morning.  It  is  a 
mania  with  her  and  we  are  dying  under  it.  The 
carts  passing  in  front  of  our  room  (also  cars) 
make  it  impossible  for  us  to  hear  clearly,  which 
she  takes  as  a  great  affront.  She  asks  all  sorts 
of  questions  as  to  what  we  think  the  Federals 
will  do,  and  if  we  are  not  true  prophets  in  the 
least  as  well  as  greatest  matters,  throws  it  up 
to  us.  I  get  very,  very  tired  of  this  sort  of  life, 
and  my  heart  aches  to  see  its  effect  on  Ginnie. 
I  would  go  to  Greenville  to  our  friends  there,  but 
when  people  are  so  kind  and  affectionate  as  they 
all  are,  one  seems  ungrateful  not  to  make  some 
effort  to  be  agreeable  and  lively.  Another  reason 
too,  we  cannot  leave  Mrs.  Norton  for  any  length 
of  time  without  quarreling  with  her.  She  really 
means  to  give  us  no  offence;  she  is  kinder  to  us 
than  to  others,  and  as  she  would  insist  on  know 
ing  why  we  left  her  house,  we  could  not  tell  her 
without  a  blow  up.  I  hate  the  eclat  of  a  quarrel ; 
I  hate  a  quarrel  itself,  and  more  than  all  I  re 
member  many  times  when  the  old  lady  repressed 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     197 

her  naturally  high  temper,  out  of  kindness  and 
respect  to  us.  She  is,  only,  very  unlike  our 
selves — not  one  sentiment  or  taste  have  we  in 
common,  and  our  constant  effort  to  accommodate 
ourselves  to  her  is  killing  us  by  inches.  I  will 
take  poor  Ginnie  and  go  for  another  visit  to  Green 
ville  soon.  The  Randolphs,  the  Harrisons  and 
Ogdens  all  beg  us  constantly;  we  see  them  al 
most  every  day.  There  has  been  a  falling  out  be 
tween  the  Harrisons  and  the  Ogdens — it  distresses 
me — they  are  both  kind,  good  and  honorable 
families — we  being  the  confidants  of  both  sides 
see  that  misunderstandings  and  servants'  tales 
have  separated  them.  Once  we  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  peace  between  them,  but  now  the  falling  out 
has  reached  the  gentlemen  of  each  house ;  I  do 
not  hope  for  any  favorable  adjustment  of  things. 
Mrs.  Roselius  and  Mary  Waugh — to  our 
room — Mary  just  from  a  sick-bed,  too.  Sat  till 
the  cars  bringing  Mrs.  Norton  back.  She  spent  a 
pleasant  day  and  regretted  we  were  not  well 
enough  to  go.  The  girls  sent  us  much  love  and 
pressing  invitations.  The  Randolphs  and  Harri 
sons  live  across  the  street  either  way  from  Judge 
Ogden's,  so  Mrs.  Norton  made  the  most  of  her 
time  and  paid  visits  all  around.  She  says  every 
thing  looks  green  and  lovely  and  rather  lonely. 
The  Yankee  tents  and  flags,  uniforms  and  band- 
playings  being  missed  in  a  pictorial  way,  if  in  no 


198     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

other.  The  pleasure  of  going  to  Greenville  is 
destroyed,  in  a  measure,  by  the  disagreements 
among  the  two  families.  We,  Ginnie  and  I,  do  not 
scruple  to  give  them  advice  and  to  tell  them  that 
they  are  both  wrong.  I  tell  them  that  I  expect  to 
lose  the  friendship  of  both  sides,  but  they  say  they 
appreciate  our  feelings  perfectly.  Mary  Harri 
son  and  Judge  Ogden  met  here  a  few  days  ago — 
the  Judge  sat  in  the  parlor  and  Mary  came  to  our 
room — we  did  not  know  which  side  to  be  the  most 
with.  Mary  was  as  nervous  as  possible;  thinks 
Judge  0—  -  has  grossly  insulted  her  father.  We 
know  he  never  meant  to  insult  anybody  in  his 
life,  being  the  most  amiable  man  of  our  acquain 
tance,  and  the  one  most  easily  imposed  upon.  He 
is  indeed  a  proverb  of  kindness  and  patience. 
Jule  Ogden  and  Mary  Harrison,  too,  met  here — 
bowed  distantly — and  had  to  go  down  the  steps 
together,  and  to  take  the  three  o'clock  car  to 
gether,  and  ride  all  the  way  home  together;  get 
out  at  the  same  station  together;  all  without 
speaking.  It  is  very  silly,  and  both  sides  are 
ashamed.  I  think  the  position  of  Kentucky  in  this 
war  laid  the  ground-work  of  the  whole  affair. 
This  State  has  been  freely  discussed  here  and 
freely  blamed,  and  the  Harrisons  resent  all  that 
is  said  against  her.  They  have  indeed  a  morbid 
sensitiveness  and  love  for  their  old  home,  and 
they  cannot  help  feeling  that  people  mean  to  be 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     199 

personal,  when  they  speak  of  her.  This  state  of 
things  induced  a  suspicious,  almost  resentful  tone 
of  feeling  which  has  exaggerated  and  returned 
unmeant  wrongs,  and  in  this  way  quite  a  cata 
logue  of  offences  have  been  recorded  on  both 
sides  and  the  old  feeling  wholly  undermined.  I 
feel  sorry  to  see  a  large  family  of  young  people 
leave  a  loved  home  for  any  other,  especially  in 
this  country,  where  State  pride  and  love  is  so 
predominant.  There  can  never  be  any  National 
feeling  in  this  country — men  are  willing  to  sacri 
fice  and  die  for  Native  State,  and  they  are  prone 
to  think  it  the  home  and  birthplace  of  every  per 
fection.  People,  even  in  transmigratory  America, 
can  not  be  transplanted  without  injury.  Even 
if  a  root  is  secured  in  a  strange  soil,  many  a  deli 
cate  tendril  is  wounded  and  lost  that  would  have 
blossomed  sweetly  in  the  old. 

I  feel  sorry  for  the  Harrisons ;  they  came  to  Lou 
isiana  just  before  the  war  commenced,  leaving  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances  in  Ken 
tucky.  They  have  led  a  lonely  prison  life  here 
since  the  city  was  captured,  while  their  relatives 
and  friends  in  the  old  State  have  been  enjoying 
themselves.  Mary  Harrison's  eyes  filled  with  tears 
when  she  told  me  of  the  welcome  Kirby  Smith  had 
had  at  her  aunt's  house  not  long  ago.  John  Mor 
gan,  their  pet  hero,  is  an  old  acquaintance,  as  other 
Confederate  heroes.  They  warmly  espouse  the 


200     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Southern  cause.  They  don't  meet  any  heroes 
here,  poor  girls,  and  never  a  soldier  to  whom  they 
can  say,  ' '  God  speed  you ! ' '  They  were  intimates 
and  relatives  of  Henry  Clay  and  other  intellectual 
people  at  home,  and  consequently  feel  much  cut 
off  here  as  regards  society.  Having  come  here  at 
an  unfortunate  time,  their  beautiful  home  on  the 
railroad  is  regarded  by  them  as  a  prison — ugly 
and  hateful  in  their  eyes.  We,  Ginnie  and  my 
self,  are  both  border  State  people,  and  have  the 
position  of  old  Maryland  to  regret,  too.  We  can 
see  much  to  justify  the  conduct  of  the  poor  border 
States,  and  I  must  Confess  that  the  people  who 
have  flocked  to  take  the  oath  to  the  United  States, 
as  they  of  this  city  have  done,  have  no  right  to 
pass  such  sweeping  censures  as  Maryland  and 
Kentucky  receive  every  day.  Said  Mrs.  Brewer 
to  me  the  other  evening,  "Ah,  do  you  not  feel  glad 
that  you  are  out  of  your  native  State!  How 
shamefully  she  has  behaved. ' '  She  did  not  mean 
to  be  rude.  Her  husband  is  a  Marylander  and  was 
present.  His  father  and  mother  were  driven  off 
of  their  farm  near  Annapolis,  as  it  was  needed 
for  a  Federal  camp.  He  has  lost  a  son  and  a 
nephew  in  the  Southern  service.  I  told  Mrs. 
Brewer  that  I  thought  the  men  of  the  border 
States  who  had  fought  for  Southern  rights,  were 
the  real  heroes  of  the  war.  Others  fight  for  all 
they  have  in  the  world — these  men  lose  all.  Their 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     201 

States  not  seceding,  they  are  exiles  in  purse  and 
home.  They  have  not  even  the  common  feeling 
of  State  pride  to  support  them  in  the  burden- 
bearing  heat  of  this  war.  I  was  told  by  a  young 
gentleman — an  Adam's  cavalry  man — from  near 
Natchez,  that  he  had  seen  many  of  the  Maryland 
boys  while  serving  in  Virginia.  "They  are  real 
exiles, "  said  he;  "noble,  splendid-looking  f el- 
lows.  "  Poor  old  Maryland!  I  wish  no  Yankee 
had  ever  moved  within  your  border;  not  that  I 
hate  them  so  bitterly,  but  it  is  too  wretched  a 
thing  to  have  a  divided  population. 

Between  North  and  South  this  war  is  sectional ; 
in  the  unhappy  border  States  alone,  it  is  civil.  Peo 
ple  never  know  how  they  act  until  tried.  Two  years 
ago  the  people  here  could  not  have  been  made  to 
believe  that  they,  under  any  circumstances,  would 
take  an  oath  to  the  repudiated  authority  of  the 
United  States.  After  the  first  blood  was  shed  in 
this  war,  blood  which  "flecked  the  streets  of  Bal 
timore/'  after  the  resistance  to  the  first  Federal 
troops,  was  disarmed  and  put  down,  an  outcry 
went  up  in  New  Orleans  against  Maryland.  ' '  She 
had  yielded!  She  was  pusillanimous!  She  was 
willing  to  see  her  Southern  sisters  overrun  and 

oppressed!     She  was  mean,  contemptible !" 

" Better/'  said  the  papers  and  the  people,  "better 
had  the  proud  city  of  Baltimore  been  razed  to  the 
ground  than  to  have  become  what  she  is/'  I  said 


202     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

so,  too ;  at  least,  I  felt  so  then  and  I  feel  so  now — 
I  would  rather  there  should  be  no  Baltimore — so 
long  in  my  memory  a  sacred  spot — now  polluted 
by  traitor's  feet;  a  Baltimore  not  true  to  the 
"Old  Line's  fame."  I  used  to  love  to  think  how 
much  of  that  dear  soil  was  once  the  birthright  of 
the  Croxalls — my  mother  Js  family,  and  how  many 
thousands  of  dearest  memories  cluster  about  that 
splendid  domain — Portland  Manor — that  once 
was  ours.  It  lies  not  far  away  from  Annapolis, 
now  a  Federal  resting  place.  Our  dear  old  home, 
our  dear  old  Maryland !  I  did  not  know  until  this 
revolution  how  much  I  loved  either.  Ah,  well, 
here  are  we,  two  lonely-hearted  women  living  in 
Louisiana,  not  bearing  transplanting  much  better 
than  the  Harrisons,  though  we  went  through  it 
much  earlier  when  mere  children.  We  are  sadder 
than  they — we  can  not,  in  our  unprotected  state, 
live  in  our  own  house.  By  the  by,  I  will  record  it 
here.  That  house  and  garden  of  ours  is  confis 
cated,  they  tell  me.  If  so,  Mr.  Randolph  must 
move  out  of  it  and  let  the  Yankees  move  in.  It 
only  nearly  escaped  being  made  a  hospital.  I 
am  glad  we  did  not  take  the  oath,  though.  The 
border  State  people  have  been  very  true  in  this 
respect.  "Pride  or  Conscience?"  I  ask  myself. 
Mrs.  Brewer,  who  made  that  remark  about  Mary 
land,  took  the  oath,  and  when  a  Federal  tried  to 
turn  her  out  of  her  house  she  said  she  was  a 


JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND     203 

Union  woman.  The  papers  and  people,  who  cried 
out,  "Better  had  Baltimore  been  destroyed, " 
took  quite  another  tone  when  New  Orleans  fell. 
Then  it  was,  "We  are  a  conquered  people  and  we 
must  not  provoke  our  invaders."  When  Marshall 
Kane,  of  Baltimore,  was  lodged  in  Fort  McHenry 
and  poor  Thomas  thrown  in  irons,  my  heart,  it 
seemed,  shed  tears  of  blood;  people  said,  "The 
pusillanimous  Marylanders. "  Since  that  day 
Mayor  Monroe  has  been  dragged  to  Fort  Jackson 
in  almost  a  dying  condition,  and  the  brave  Mum- 
ford,  who  tore  down  the  first  Federal  flag  raised 
in  the  city,  has  been  hung,  and  no  man's  hand 
was  lifted  to  help  him.  Indeed  there  has  been 
more  individual  and  collective  resistance  in  Bal 
timore  than  in  this  city  which  has  suffered  more 
provocation.  Yet  people  even  yet  will  not  make 
allowance  for  others  who  yield  to  bitter  circum 
stance,  even  as  they  do 

Maryland,  after  the  seizure  and  imprison 
ment  of  her  Legislature,  which  would  have 
carried  the  State  out  of  the  Union,  sent  other 
members  to  the  Federal  Congress.  I  felt  this 
a  great  disgrace  to  her,  but  then  New  Or 
leans  this  winter  has  shown  me  how  such 
movements  can  be  made.  Haus  and  Flanders, 
of  this  city,  to  represent  Louisiana;  men  nobody 
had  heard  of  till  this  commotion.  Had  poor  old 
Maryland  had  her  ex-Governor  Lowe,  instead  of 


204     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GKAND 

the  serpent  Hicks  as  her  ruler,  she  would  have 
been  in  the  field  as  early  as  her  sister  Virginia. 
Together  they  would  have  taken  sides  after  their 
peace  commissions  had  failed.  Old  Virginia  was 
for  a  long  time  distrusted  here.  "She  should 
have  been  one  of  the  first  to  have  gone  out, ' '  peo 
ple  said,  but  now  that  she  is  the  battle  field, 
bleeding,  dismantled  and  torn,  she  is  loved.  For 
my  part,  I  never  blamed  her.  I  respected  her 
dalliance,  her  love  of  the  Union,  and  her  earnest 
efforts  toward  mediation,  but  when  the  last  failed, 
I  knew  she  was  right  to  sever  her  old  bonds,  and 
stand  by  her  Southern  sisters,  and  I  knew  dear 
old  Maryland  was  wrong.  I  made  some  conces 
sion  in  my  arraigning  thoughts,  because  of  her 
geographical  position.  The  broad  Potomac  di 
vided  her  from  her  friends  and  the  severing 
Chesapeake  brought  the  iron  monsters  to  her 
very  door  and  she  had  no  time  to  think  and  pre 
pare.  I  will  do  the  people  here  the  justice  to  say 
that  her  position  has  been  considered.  She  has 
been  much  sympathized  with  and  pitied,  and 
"Maryland,  my  Maryland "  has  been  sung  with 
real  and  earnest  pathos  by  thousands  of  Southern 
lips.  They  thought  she  was  true,  that  she  would 
come  with  us  some  day  when  her  chains  were 
taken  off ;  they  knew  that  she  had  helped  us  and 
that  many  a  Maryland  mother  had  a  son  to 
mourn,  who  lay  beyond  the  wide  Potomac.  After 
Lee's  advance,  and  the  battle  of  Antietam 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     205 

[Sharpsburg],  this  feeling  changed.  Lee  was 
certainly  unsupported.  It  was  a  great  blow  to 
me.  ' '  They  should  have  risen  en  masse, ' '  we  said. 
Lee  only  remained  three  days,  however,  and  men 
cannot  leave  homes  unprotected  so  suddenly  and 
on  such  short  notice.  Had  he  seized  Baltimore; 
had  he  stayed  long  enough  to  offer  protection  to 
those  he  invited,  I  believe  many  would  have  joined 
him.  The  young  and  ardent  were  already  on  the 
field  and  the  others  required  safeguards  for  their 
families.  I  wish  Lee  had  never  gone  to  Mary 
land.  It  was  pleasant  to  dream  of  her  relief  in 
my  own  way.  What  sort  of  a  journal  is  tHis,  I 
wonder ! 

Mrs.  Norton  met  a  Confederate  soldier  in  the 
cars  the  other  day;  they  fell  into  converse  and 
he  promised  to  come  to  see  us  all,  as  he  is  on 
parole  and  is  allowed  the  freedom  of  the  city,  but 
without  his  uniform.  This  creates  an  unpleasant 
excitement  here;  unpleasant  to  Federals,  I 
mean — our  officers  we  hear  are  much  sought  after 
and  are  in  danger  of  forming  bad  habits  from  too 
much  toast-drinking.  Mrs.  Norton's  soldier  ap 
pointed  a  day  and  hour  and  Mr.  Randolph,  Mary 
Harrison,  and  Mrs.  Dameron  waited  here  a  long 
time  for  his  lordship,  but  he  did  not  make  his  ap 
pearance.  I  was  sick  in  bed  and  Ginnie  was 
gloomy,  sick  and  nervous — so  I  did  not  regret  the 
disappointment  for  ourselves. 

Mrs.  Pinkard  has  had  a  message  from  the  Fed- 


206     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

eral  authorities  that  she  must  either  lodge  Gen 
eral  Sherman,  give  up  her  house,  or  pay  rent  for 
it.  Cool  and  insolent!  Colonel  French  lived  in 
it  and  gave  it  up  after  Mrs.  Pinkard's  return 
with  reluctance.  She  had  taken  the  oath  and  there 
was  no  excuse.  "  Would  you  have  me  turn  Mrs. 
French  into  the  street  V9  said  he  when  first  ap 
plied  to.  Why  the  last  change,  I  cannot  say. 

March  14th  [1863].  For  the  last  few  days  the 
Federal  soldiers  have  been  arresting  all  the 
negroes  seen  in  the  streets  without  passes  (given 
out  at  the  Mayor's  office,  Mayor  Miller,  formerly 
on  General  Shepley's  staff,  and  with  whom  Mrs. 
Norton  has  the  written  bet  about  the  fall  of  Port 
Hudson).  General,  or  Governor,  Shepley  was 
standing  on  his  (Mrs.  Brown's)  steps  as  Mrs. 
Norton  passed.  She  stopped  and  chatted  as 
usual;  asked  if  Port  Hudson  "is  taken  yet." 
"I  am  to  drink  some  of  that  champagne, "  said 
he.  "You  must  take  it  at  my  house, "  said  she, 
"for  I  will  win  it — you  will  never  win  it;  you 
will  never  take  Port  Hudson."  The  General 
looked  very  pale ;  I  expect  he  thinks  so,  too.  The 
wife  of  a  Yankee  who  is  lodged  in  a  "captured 
house"  at  the  corner  of  our  square,  had  a  letter 
from  her  husband  a  few  days  ago.  He  is  at  Baton 
Rouge,  and  is  to  take  part  in  the  coming  battle. 
"It  will  be  a  terrible  fight,"  he  writes.  Two 
weeks  ago  she  told  Mrs.  Norton,  out  of  mere 


JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND     207 

bravado  and  to  frighten  her,  that  the  Federals 
had  surrounded  both  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson 
and  that  both  places  were  in  Federal  power.  She 
has  held  levees  for  the  negroes,  and  has  always 
managed  to  say  something  disagreeable  about  our 
defeats  somewhere  or  other,  or  that  Butler  would 
soon  be  back,  or  something  of  that  sort,  whenever 
we  passed  her  door.  But  a  great  anxiety  has 
taken  possession  of  her;  she  has  "no  one  but  her 
husband, ' '  she  says,  and  indeed  we  feel  sorry  for 
the  poor  thing.  Should  Port  Hudson  fall  she 
will  say  all  sorts  of  things  as  we  pass,  I  know,  but 
she  is  a  poor,  common  creature  and  is  only  to  be 
pitied.  I  hope  her  husband  will  be  spared  her; 
also  that  as  many  of  the  soldiers  as  possible  will 
desert  to  us  as  have  promised  to  do  so.  It  took 
three  regiments  to  force  off  one  to  go  to  this  Port 
Hudson  affair.  We  "  Rebels  "  have  been  making 
laughing  calculations  and  trying  to  work  out 
political  problems  by  the  rule  of  three,  since  this 
event.  Specimens:  "If  it  takes  three  regiments 
to  move  one  to  the  scene  of  action,  how  many  will 
it  take  to  move  out  Banks 9  whole  army?"  "How 
many  will  it  take  to  make  them  fight!"  and  so 
forth. 

Just  called  out  to  see  Mrs.  Wilkinson — not  the 
paroled  one — she  tells  me  that  Mrs.  Bowen,  the 
wife  of  a  Yankee  Colonel,  let  slip  in  her  converse 
that  three  Connecticut  regiments  mutinied  and 


208     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

had  to  be  sent  home — officers  and  men.  The  rule 
of  three  still  at  work.  General  Sherman  asked 
Kate  Wilkinson  why  she  was  so  anxious  to  go 
over  the  lines.  ' '  Oh,  General,  I  am  so  tired  here, 
and  I  do  so  long  for  some  fresh  Confederate  air. ' ' 
The  General  smiled  and  said,  "Well,  stay,  and 
maybe  .you  will  have  some  good  Confederate  air 
here  soon  before  long."  We  wonder  what  he 
meant  by  that.  General  Sherman  has  advised 
Mrs.  Wilkinson  not  to  go  yet  as  there  will  be 
danger  in  the  transfer.  "Wait,"  said  he  smil 
ingly,  * '  and  perhaps  we  will  send  you  all  the  way 
to  Vicksburg."  "I  have  heard  something  of  go 
ing  that  way,"  returned  Mrs.  Wilkinson,  "but 
under  our  own  flag."  The  "Rebel"  ram  Missouri 
has  run  the  gauntlet  out  of  the  Yazoo  where  she 
was  built,  and  is  safe  at  Vicksburg.  Farragut  and 
Banks  are  both  at  Baton  Rouge.  Word  has  been 
received  here,  it  is  said,  that  fighting  has  com 
menced  at  Port  Hudson.  The  few  Federals  who 
are  left  here  keep  up  much  journeying  to  and 
fro.  They  are  riding  furiously  up  and  down 
the  street  and  the  jingling  of  their  swords  is 
sounding  in  our  ears  all  day  long  as  they  pass 
our  door.  I  can  not  say  that  their  step  is  martial, 
or  in  the  cavalier  style.  They  ride,  indeed, 
infamously  in  two  ways — in  the  first  place  they 
have  stolen  every  horse  in  town,  even  ladies' 
carriage  horses  and  those  from  doctors'  buggies; 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     209 

in  the  next,  they  sit  on  them  in  the  most  awkward 
style,  bumping  up  and  down,  laboring,  appar 
ently,  more  than  the  horses.  They  sit  back  pomp 
ously,  and  no  doubt  think  that  we  admire  them 
wonderfully.  The  Indianola,  which  we  captured 
from  the  Federals,  was  reported  lost.  Indeed,  an 
" extra"  informed  us  that  a  strange  vessel  went 
steaming  past  the  batteries  at  Vicksburg  while 
our  people  were  raising  the  Indianola  (which  had 
been  sunk  in  the  capture),  whereupon  our  Con 
federate  boats  took  alarm  and  destroyed  the  half- 
raised  vessel.  I  thought  it  queer  that  two  Con 
federate  steamers  would  run  from  one  Yankee 
craft,  and  now  we  hear  that  the  whole  thing  was 
a  ruse,  and  that  the  Indianola  is  not  only  raised, 
but  in  good  fighting  order,  having  lost  in  the  sub 
merging  but  two  guns. 

We  are  getting  quite  a  navy — all  captured; 
not  one  had  we  with  which  to  begin.  When 
the  Queen  of  the  West  passed  Vicksburg,  she 
ruled,  indeed,  like  a  queen  over  the  world 
of  waters,  which  lie  between  Port  Hudson 
and  Vicksburg,  thus  locking  up  our  Texas 
and  Red  River  trade,  cutting  off  our  army  sup 
plies.  The  Federals  were  jubilant  over  her  pass 
ing,  but  she  soon  fell  after  a  short  and  inglorious 
career,  and  a  still  more  inglorious  struggle.  She 
was  destroyed  by  the  Red  River  batteries  and  de 
serted  by  her  officers.  She  floats  a  new,  and  I 


210     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

hope  to  high  Heaven,  what  is  to  ever  be  a  worthier 
flag,  and  her  first  exploit  under  it,  was  to  make 
another  Federal  bulwark  succumb.  These  iron 
monsters  which  were  soon  to  make  an  end  of  "the 
rebellion "  are  fast  falling  into  our  hands,  and 
besides,  we  have  some  trusty  ones  of  our  own 
building.  We  Confederate  women  are  forever 
counting  them  in  our  hearts  and  on  our  fingers. 
They  are  to  open  the  prison  doors  of  New  Or 
leans.  We  have  three  building  up  the  Yazoo; 
one,  the  Missouri,  has  run  the  gauntlet,  and  we 
have  seven  building  at  Mobile.  In  two  months 
we  can  take  this  city  back.  Mrs.  Norton  is  read 
ing  out  loud — she  sees  badly — stumbles,  I  cannot 
make  out  what  she  means,  or  what  I  mean  myself. 
I  hope  my  Edith,  when  she  reads  this,  will  take 
into  consideration  her  auntie's  trials  and  never 
feel  tempted  to  scrawl  out  such  a  production 
herself. 

Sunday,  March  15th  [1863],  Mrs.  Dameron's 
little  ones  came  over  to  breakfast.  I  predict  that 
Mary  Lu,  or  Yete,  as  she  is  called,  will  one  day 
make  a  sweet,  pretty  and  ingenuous  woman.  She 
is  shy  now,  not  demonstrative — not  half  so  much 
noticed  and  petted  as  her  sister  Sydney.  The 
latter  is  very  communicative — she  is  very  pretty, 
and  as  much  at  her  ease  as  a  grown  woman  and 
quite  as  worldly-minded  and  fond  of  show  as 
some  of  them.  She  will  be  a  coquette,  I  fancy, 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     211 

and  will  give  her  good,  religious  papa  the  heart 
ache  often.  Mrs.  Dameron  with  all  the  children 
(the  baby  born  the  night  the  city  fell,  while  the 
Yankee  gunboats  were  steaming  up  the  river;  a 
beautiful  boy  who  has  never  yet  seen  his  papa) 
passed  yesterday  with  us,  as  did  also  Mrs.  White. 
Courtnay,  a  fine  boy  whom  they  call  Chopper (?). 
The  little  folk  were  quite  noisy,  and  their  peace 
ful-minded  mother  looked  as  well,  calm  and  con 
tented  as  if  all  the  world  were  so,  too.  She  is  so 
honest-minded,  so  true,  innocent  and  unworldly, 
that  one  cannot  respect  her  too  highly.  She  has 
a  kind,  good  husband — but  he  went  out  with  the 
Confederate  guards,  when  General  Soule  carried 
them  off  and  has  not  been  back  since.  She  hears 
often  by  what  we  "Kebels"  call  the  "under 
ground  railroad, "  and  the  "grapevine  tele 
graph."  He  is  not  in  the  army,  but  in  the 
Commissary  Department.  His  friend,  Mr.  Broad- 
well  (Colonel,  they  call  him,  though  not  in 
service),  being  a  sort  of  head  man  in  Jackson — 

he,  Colonel  B ,  being  a  friend  of  President 

Davis,  and  in  great  trust  with  him,  can  procure 
favors  for  "his  friends.  I  do  not  think  they  will 
ever  fall  on  one  more  worthy  than  Mr.  Dameron — 
a  good  husband,  son  and  brother.  Mr.  Broadwell 
was  quite  a  neighborhood  card  when  in  the  city — 
he  is  very  rich,  very  useful  to  the  Government, 


212     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

and  I  believe  is  making  a  still  greater  fortune 
now.  He  is  honest,  however,  and  his  word  is  law, 
they  say,  in  Jackson,  now  a  military  depot.  He 
is  awfully  uninteresting — and  I  believe  would  be 
literally  the  death  of  me  were  I  forced  to  enter 
tain  him  long  at  a  time.  Why  are  useful  people 
often  so  uninteresting?  This  man  is  "strong  and 
healthy,"  I  say,  "and  ought  to  be  in  the  field 
where  so  many  of  our  delicate  brothers  are  risk 
ing  health  and  losing  fortune. ' '  Mr.  B bears 

the  title  of  Colonel.  Then  why  is  he  in  the  Com 
missary  Department? 

To-day  I  thought  I  would  not  go  to  church,  but 
stay  at  home  and  have  a  quiet  time.  Mary  Ogden 
came  first — I  was  glad  to  see  her;  she  loves  us 
and  we  love  her.  Then  came  Mrs.  Dameron ;  then 
Mrs.  Roselius,  after  she  left,  Mary  Ogden,  who 
had  gone  out,  came  back  to  dinner.  She  left  on  the 
three  o'clock  car.  Doctor  Fenner  then  arrived. 
Then  Mrs.  Norton  read  aloud  out  of  newspapers, 
and  Ginnie  laid  down  her  book  with  a  sigh — 
and  I,  how  can  I  possibly  string  together  a  sensi 
ble  sentence !  Mrs.  White  and  Mrs.  Dameron  are 
in  the  other  room  now,  if  no  one  conies  after 

them.     I  will  record  what  Mary  0 told  me 

in  the  greatest  secrecy.  I  fear  to  write  it.  If 
anything  should  happen,  will  I  have  time  to  burn 
this  record!  A  spy  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  has 
been  in  this  town — within  this  week — being 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     213 

known  to ;  has  been  at  his  house. 

He  has  worn  the  Federal  uniform  during  his  stay 
and  has  taken  away  all  necessary  information. 
This  man  is  no  impostor,  having  been  seen  by 

in  Virginia  last  summer — he  is  the 

Captain  in  which 's  son  has  been  first 

lieutenant  since  this  young  man  has  been  on 
detached  service.  The  spy  is  well  known  to 

and  they  therefore  believe  what  he 

says.  He  brings  the  astounding  intelligence  that 
Stonewall  Jackson  is  now  at  Pontchatoula  dis- 
guised  as  a  wagoner!  He  says  that  when  he  met 
him  he  called  him  General,  whereupon  Stonewall 
disclaimed  the  honor.  "You  can  not  deceive  me, 
General,"  said  he,  "I  served  under  you  too  long." 
He  was  after  this  appointed  spy.  This  city  is  to 
be  taken  back  before  long,  unless,  indeed,  we 
should  be  beaten  in  the  coming  contests  of  Port 
Hudson  and  Vicksburg.  Mary  imparted  this  in 
formation  almost  with  fear  and  trembling  to  us 
and  made  us  promise  most  sacredly  to  not  even 
whisper  or  look  it  to  another.  Ginnie  and  myself 
are  the  only  two  in  all  the  world  that  she  would 
even  whisper  it  to,  she  says.  Her  father  would  be 
half  crazy  if  he  knew  anyone  else  knew  of  this 
visit.  I  have  heard  so  much  of  Confederate  at 
tacks  on  this  place,  that  such  reports  do  not  excite 
me  now.  This  young  man's  story  I  would  doubt 
altogether  if had  not  known  him  and 


214     JOURNAL  OP  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

seen  him  in  service  in  Virginia.  Time  will  prove. 
I  wish  I  could  realize  him  and  what  he  says  as 
Mary  does.  There  are  many  rumors  of  Stone- 
wall's  being  outside  somewhere  near.  One  reli 
able  "lady"  knows  from  a  "reliable"  gentleman 
that  he  is  within  five  miles  of  the  city  and  bent 
on  its  attack.  Mr.  Randolph  says  he  heard  two 
Federals  in  the  car  say,  "Well,  who  knows  that 
that  old  Stonewall  won't  burst  in  on  this  city 
any  day.  Well,  well,  we  must  admit  that  Stone 
wall  and  Long^treet  are  two  powerful  men.  DOW- 
erf ul  men ! ' ' 

Why  should  Jackson  be  in  disguise,  when 
his  very  name  at  Port  Hudson  would  make 
our  army  there  invincible?  I  can  offer  no  solu 
tion  but  this :  if  it  should  be  known  in  Virginia, 
the  effect  on  our  army  there  might  be  dispiriting. 
He  is  so  idolized  by  his  men  and  so  feared  by  the 
enemy.  Even  the  cold  Englishman,  whose  account 
of  this  hero  I  read  a  few  days  ago,  says  that  he 
could  be  led  anywhere  under  the  inspiring  influ 
ence  of  two  such  men  as  Lee  and  Stonewall  Jack 
son.  I  am  so  glad  that  dear  Claude's  short  mili 
tary  career  was  passed  under  him.  Claude  was 
one  of  the  famous  "Foot  Cavalry"  until  he  left 
his  poor  arm  at  Port  Republic.  Taylor 's  Brigade, 
Harry  Hays  and  the  Seventh  Regiment  Crescent 
Rifles  are  names  doubly  dear  for  Claude's  sake. 
I  have  now  in  my  desk  a  letter  of  Claude's — of 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     215 

last  year — written  in  pencil  on  a  cartridge  box — 
which  says:  "We  have  just  given  Banks  a  com 
plete  whipping — /  expect  we  have  done  rather  a 
brilliant  thing. "  Banks  will  get  another  whipping 
soon,  in  a  few  days,  we  think,  though  the  Federals 
have  it  reported  that  Port  Hudson  has  already 
been  evacuated  by  our  troops — frightened  at  their 
approach,  perhaps.  'Tis  said  by  our  people  that 
fighting  is  going  on  to-day.  (N.  B. — Mrs.  Norton 
reading  Bible  aloud.)  We  have  just  held  a  dis 
cussion — we  have  expressed  a  wish  that  we  might 
get  this  place  by  treaty — this  humane  desire  gives 

offence  to  Mrs.  N .    She  "wants  them  killed. " 

She  wants  to  "hear  the  cannon — let  'em  come 
from  France  or  wherever  they  will. "  If  a  forcible 
entry  of  this  town  will  help  to  hasten  the  end  of 
this  terrible  war,  I  will  be  glad  to  see  it — and  that 
speedily — but  if  our  successes  which  have  gained 
us  the  admiration  of  the  world,  could  only  buy 
our  freedom  without  more  bloodshed,  would  it 
not  be  better!  Oh,  I  long,  long  to  see  this  cruel 
war  over !  I  do  not  like  to  even  hear  of  the  suffer 
ings  our  enemies  endure.  The  meeting  of  the  two 
huge  armies  now  on  the  river,  bent  on  annihilat 
ing  each  other  is  a  terrible  matter  to  think  of.  It 
seems  to  me  I  have  no  longer  any  faith  in  civiliza 
tion,  learning,  religion — anything  good.  (If  I 
should  write  down  a  scrap  of  the  Bible  here,  do 
not  let  it  astonish  you,  my  little  niece — your 


216     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

auntie  is  very  seldom  alone.  Nobody  means  to 
inflict  any  ill  upon  her,  but  she  is  talked  to,  or 
read  to,  almost  every  minute  in  the  day  from 
before  breakfast  to  bed  time.)  Who  knows  what 
a  fine  journal  I  might  not  have  written  you  if  I 
had  had  the  health  and  spirits  to  go  about  much, 
and  had  the  privacy  in  which  to  record  what  I 
heard. 

Mrs.  Norton  went  yesterday  to  get  papers  for 
her  negroes,  according  to  Federal  command — was 
quite  astonished  to  be  asked  if  she  had  taken  the 
oath.  In  giving  answer,  she  also  managed  to  give 
offence  to  the  official,  who  rudely  told  her  to 
"Hush,"  whereupon  she  told  him  she  would  talk 
as  much  as  she  pleased  in  spite  of  all  the  Federals 
in  New  Orleans  and  not  take  the  oath  either.  The 
Federal  said  he  didn't  care  a  damn  whether  she 
took  the  oath  or  not.  She  then  made  a  very  proper 
answer — "You  have  proved  a  gentleman  of  the 
first  stamp,  sir,"  said  she,  "in  swearing  at  an  old 
lady;  a  very  fine  gentleman  indeed."  He  was 
then  silent  and  ashamed.  Mrs.  Dameron,  Mrs. 
Doctor  Stille  and  Mrs.  Wells  all  went  to  the  same 
place  to  get  papers  for  their  servants  and  were 
treated  very  politely.  To  those  who  had  not 
taken  the  oath  he  expressed  great  regret,  that  he 
was  compelled  not  to  issue  passes  for  servants 
belonging  to  disloyal  people.  Such  servants  are 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     217 

all  caught  up  and  forced  by  Federal  soldiers  to 
work  on  the  fortifications  and  plantations.  I  pity 
poor  Julie  Ann ;  I  wonder  what  death  she  will  die ! 
She  has  never  known  real  hardship.  This  step 
of  the  authorities  here  has  given  the  negroes  a 
great  blow.  So  much  for  Federal  philanthropy! 
Another  instance  of  it.  The  Yankee  Era  said 
yesterday  that  the  Indianola  before  her  capture 
by  the  Confederates  had  been  dispatched  to  de 
stroy  the  cotton  and  plantation  of  Jeff  Davis  and 
his  brother  and  to  bring  off  all  the  male  slaves — 
the  male  slaves,  philanthropy!  We  hear  con 
stantly  of  negroes  who  are  brought  away  un 
willingly  from  their  home  comforts  and  their 
masters — and  not  infrequently  are  these  poor 
people  robbed  of  all  they  have  by  their  pretended 
saviors.  Mrs.  Wilkinson 's  old  man  was  robbed 
on  his  plantation  of  his  watch  and  money,  and 
another  of  four  hundred  dollars,  which  had  been 
hoarded  up  for  a  long  time.  It's  bad  enough  for 
a  soldier  to  steal  chickens  and  pigs,  yet  I  have  in 
some  sort  a  sympathy  for  this  sort  of  outrage,  but 
when  I  think  of  how  these  pretended  civilizers 
and  benefactors  have  ransacked  this  town  for  fine 
linen  and  silver  spoons — letting  not  even  negroes 
escape— I  feel  glad  enough  to  have  ceased  calling 
Federal  soldiers  brothers  and  countrymen.  The 
dear  old  Union  has  ceased  to  be  dear  to  all  who 
would  have  once  died  for  it.  Its  defenders  are  not 


218     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

knights  or  cavaliers,  but  robbers.  I  am  growing 
each  day  fonder  of  our  new  flag.  I  did  not  love  it 
at  first — but  my  heart  was  thrilled  at  the  accounts 
of  our  gallant  Southern  heroes.  I  am  proud  to 
hear  what  brave  and  honorable  gentlemen  they 
are,  though  too  often  clothed  in  homespun  and 
too  often  shoeless. 

Read  an  account  in  the  New  York  World 
of  the  sinking  of  the  Hatteras  by  the  Ala 
bama.  It  is  given  out  by  the  officers  of  the 
Hatteras  on  their  return  to  New  York.  The  short 
conflict  was  thrillingly  interesting.  I  fancy  I  can 
hear  Semmes  call  out,  "Do  you  want  assistance? " 
to  the  sinking  crew — and  the  awful  moments  that 
followed  the  inquiry.  The  paper  says,  "Every 
comfort  was  provided  for  both  officers  and  men" 
on  board  the  Alabama,  and  every  attention  was 
paid  to  the  littlest  wants  of  the  prisoners. 
"Cots  were  erected  on  the  spar  deck  for  the 
wounded  in  order  to  give  them  fresh  air,  and  the 
surgeon  of  the  Alabama  extended  every  facility 
in  their  power,  furnishing  all  sorts  of  medicinal 
stores  for  the  use  of  the  wounded.  A  guard  was 
placed  round  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  all  on 
board  prohibited  from  making  a  noise.  Some  of 
the  Rebel  officers  gave  up  their  sleeping  accom 
modations;  treated  them  with  the  utmost  cour 
tesy  and  consideration. ' '  In  the  Yucatan  channel 
the  Alabama  ran  up  to  a  strange  vessel  which  they 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     219 

ascertained  to  be  English.  The  Confederate  flag 
was  then  hoisted  and  the  English  vessel  dipped  her 
colors  three  times  in  token  of  respect.  At  Port 
Royal  many  British  residents  and  others  came  on 
board  greeting  the  officers  of  the  290  warmly— 
"We  are  glad  to  see  you;  our  whole  hearts  are 
with  you."  Handshakings  and  congratulations 
were  exchanged  all  around  and  the  Southern  Con 
federacy  and  its  representatives  were  exalted  to 
the  skies.  Her  Brittanic  Majesty's  steamer  Grey 
hound  was  in  port,  and  when  it  was  known  on 
board  this  vessel  that  the  Alabama  was  there,  it 
was  proposed  to  greet  her  with  "Dixie  Land" 
and  the  band  struck  up.  Hearing  this  air,  Semmes 
remarked  to  some  of  the  Union  officers,  "Do  you 
hear  that  greeting  to  the  lone  wanderer  of  the 
seas?  That  is  what  we  hear  everywhere."  The 
English  and  other  visitors  on  board  the  Alabama 
spoke  contemptuously  of  the  Yankees,  and  the 
Yankee  Government  before  the  Union  prisoners. 
"Contemptible  Yankees,"  was  their  mildest  ap 
pellation.  This,  I  think,  was  mean.  The  feelings 
of  the  unfortunate  should  never  be  wounded.  The 
officers  of  the  Hatleras  had  only  done  their  duty. 
I  am  glad  that  on  the  Alabama  and  our  other  war 
vessels,  that  prisoners  are  treated  with  respect 
and  kindness.  Such  things  are  the  triumphs  of 
civilization. 

The  New  York  papers  are  indignant  at  the 


220     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

sympathy  we  receive.  Indeed,  it  is  wonder 
ful  how  our  young  Confederacy  has  sustained 
itself  with  a  new  and  untried  government ;  a  vol 
unteer  army  comprised  of  men  unused  to  hard 
ship  or  discipline;  many  of  them  high-blooded 
young  fellows  who  cannot  be  prone  to  bear 
meekly  the  harshness  of  officers ;  with  ports  block 
aded;  shut  out  from  not  only  comforts — but 
needs;  badly  clad;  poorly  arme<J  and  coarsely 
fed;  cut  off  from  all  United  States  natural  re 
sources;  without  navy  or  arsenal — yet  have  we 
defied  the  enemy  and  preserved  our  border  line 
almost  unbroken.  These  are  triumphs  indeed, 
and  it  is  a  grand  thing  to  feel  that  our  country 
men  are  endowed  with  faculties  which  ripen  un 
der  misfortune  and  trial,  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  ennobles  their  deeds,  and  a  courage  which 
is  the  best  of  foundations  both  for  national  and 
social  character.  But,  alas !  will  not  this  South 
ern  Confederacy  be  torn  asunder  sometime  as  the 
once  sacred  Union  now  is !  I  want  to  love  all  the 
States  with  the  same  love.  I  used  to  honor  all 
American  soil  from  Maine  to  Georgia.  I  have 
had  a  great  blow  in  the  severing  of  the  old  States 
and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  security  has  gone  from 
all  things.  No  Constitution  made  by  man  could 
be  better  or  nobler  than  that  our  old  fathers 
framed — yet  how  was  it  trampled  on !  There  will 
not  be,  I  fear,  in  future  years  any  better  security 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     221 

against  the  machinations  of  bad  politicians  than 
there  has  been  in  the  present  time,  and  here 
among  us  may  arise  some  other  Lincoln-like 
demagogue  to  whom  our  people  will  yield  their 
liberties  and  self-respect  as  the  Northern  people 
have  yielded  theirs.  The  separation  of  States 
and  the  blood  shedding  and  suffering  of  a  people 
will  be  the  consequence.  Texas,  I  fear,  will  cer 
tainly  form  a  republic  of  her  own.  There  are 
enough  of  Texan  hearts  still  beating  who  re 
gretted  the  old  Union  with  the  United  States, 
though  no  soldiers  have  borne  more  nobly  the 
arms  of  the  Confederacy  with  honor  than  those 
of  Texas.  They  have  been  distinguished  on  every 
field.  Talking  of  Texas  stirs  in  my  heart  the 
ever-longing  to  see  my  loved  ones  there.  My 
sister  and  her  dear  little  ones;  my  brothers — 
more  especially  poor,  wounded  Claude.  No  letter 
or  word  can  reach  us  from  there.  I  fear  my  many 
efforts  to  smuggle  scraps  of  paper  through  to 
them  have  failed.  I  have  a  spool  of  cotton  in 
which  I  propose  to  send  a  few  lines  when  the 
Wilkinsons  go,  but  they  will  wait  now  I  suppose 
until  Port  Hudson  falls  or  is  pronounced  im 
pregnable. 

While  I  was  sick  Mrs.  Roselius  brought 
over  a  photograph  of  a  large  picture  painted 
here  last  summer  in  great  secrecy.  It  was 
to  be  sent  to  Europe  to  give  an  idea  to  the 


222     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

people  there  what  Butler  was  doing  in  this  con 
quered  city.  While  Butler  was  here  he  seemed 
almost  insane  on  the  subject  of  enriching  himself. 
He  was  not  content  in  robbing  people  of  their 
wealth  and  women  of  their  jewels  and  silver;  he 
opened  several  graves,  supposing  that  gold  had 
been  hidden  in  them.  It  was  thought  that  he  was 
led  on  to  these  searches  by  the  reports  of  negroes. 
It  is  well  known  here  that  he  opened  the  grave  of 
our  well-loved  hero,  Sydney  A.  Johnston  (killed 
at  Shiloh).  This  picture,  therefore,  represents 
a  graveyard,  with  the  inscription  on  several 
tombs  very  distinct — Sydney  A.  Johnston,  Charles 
Dreux  and  the  Washington  Artillery.  On  the 
steps  of  one  of  the  tombs  sits,  with  back  erect,  a 
huge  and  hideous  hyena,  with  Butler's  head.  A 
skull  and  several  bones  lie  near.  The  effect  is 
sickening  and  appalling.  When  I  looked  at  it  the 
same  sick  feeling  came  over  me  of  dread  and 
horror  that  I  had  felt  the  day  that  the  wretched 
thing  was  done — when  Mrs.  Brown  came  up  and 
whispered  what  Butler  was  doing  and  whom  he 
had  last  seized,  and  a  creeping  horror  made  us  all 
feel  the  power  and  wickedness  of  the  wretch  to 
whom  we  had  yielded  the  city.  Over  this  picture 
appear  the  words,  "Great  Federal  Menagerie 
now  on  exhibition/'  and  beneath,  "The  Great 
Massachusetts  Hyena — true  to  his  traditional 
instincts,  he  violates  the  Grave. "  It  would  have 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     223 

been  death  last  summer  to  have  been  caught 
painting  this  picture  as  it  would  have  been  to 
have  been  known  to  know  anything  about  it;  Mrs. 
Brown  having  whispered  it  to  us,  though  not  to 
her  mother.  I  never  saw  it  until  Mrs.  Roselius 
brought  it  over — she  seemed  quite  astonished  to 
hear  we  knew  anything  of  it.  This  picture  on  a 
large  scale,  exhibited  over  the  civilized  world 
would  be  certainly  a  greater  though  more  refined 
punishment  than  hanging  or  tearing  to  pieces  by 
a  mob  would  be  for  Butler,  with  which  he  is  so 
often  threatened  in  private  conversation.  I  do 
not  like  violent  measures  of  any  sort  which  inflict 
physical  torture,  but  I  do  think  that  a  wretch  like 
Benjamin  Butler  should  be  held  up  to  the  execra 
tion  of  the  entire  civilized  world.  Such  rebukes 
must  turn  the  most  hardened  villain 's  eye  inward, 
and  moreover  they  act  wholesomely  on  others. 
There  should  be  no  revenge  in  punishment  in  a 
civilized  society;  punishments  should  be  admin 
istered  for  their  effect  merely  for  prevention  of 
crimes. 

Mrs.  Wells  has  paid  us  a  visit.  Reports  that 
Farragut  has  passed  by  Port  Hudson.  Great 
rejoicing  among  the  Yankees.  Mrs.  Wells,  who 
has  been  on  a  long  visit  to  Mrs.  Montgomery,  has 
told  us  so  much  of  the  quiet  charities  done  by 
both  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  the  Judge.  I  was 
glad  to  hear  it,  as  they  are  very  rich  and  as  they 


224     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

entertain  but  little,  are  thought  mean  generally. 
They  are  very  kind  to  Confederate  soldiers,  tak 
ing  them  in,  nursing  them,  clothing  them  and 
giving  them  money.  People  never  have  any  right 
to  pronounce  on  human  character,  at  least  until 
it  has  been  brought  under  close  inspection.  So 
many  are  overrated  because  of  some  manner  that 
may  be  entirely  superficial  and  deceptive  as  to 
the  character  it  conceals.  Mrs.  Norton  has  been 
down  town — brings  the  Yankee  Era.  Farragut 
has  passed  with  two  vessels,  the  flagship  Hart 
ford  and  one  other.  The  Mississippi  was  de 
stroyed  by  our  batteries — thirty  men  killed. 
Farragut  is  now  expected  to  be  between  two  fires 
now  that  he  is  separated  from  the  rest  of  his 
fleet.  His  position  seems  dangerous  to  us — 
flanked  on  one  side  by  Port  Hudson  and  on  the 
other  by  Vicksburg,  and  a  bold  report  that  he 
has  been  captured,  is  already  out.  Mr.  Dudley 
was  up  this  afternoon;  I  was  making  a  sack  and 
made  Ginnie  go  out.  It  is  wrong  for  us  to  seclude 
ourselves  as  we  do,  but  oh,  when  one  feels 
wretched,  anxious  and  lonely  as  I  do,  how  can  I 
wish  for  anything  but  solitude.  Other  people 
seem  to  be  able  to  throw  off  their  grief  by  merely 
meeting  and  chatting  about  it.  Mrs.  Dameron 
and  Mrs.  Norton  received  letters  this  afternoon. 
All  are  well  outside  the  lines.  Mary  Lou  Harri 
son  wrote  to  her  grandma,  so  also  Charley.  They 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     225 

have  not  heard  from  Texas — the  mails  being 
broken  up.  Charley  says  that  he  sent  the  letter 
I  sent  him  to  Claude — I  suppose  by  Mr.  Riley, 
who  is  about  to  return  to  Galveston  where  his 
father  is  stationed.  I  feel  so  dreadfully  being 
thus  cut  off  from  all  I  love.  Mrs.  Roselius  came 
in  this  evening,  so  did  Mrs.  White  and  Mrs. 
Dameron.  I  walked  a  little  way  home  with  the 
two  latter,  after  shutting  myself  up  all  day  long. 
Mrs.  Roselius  promised  to  get  me  one  of  the 
pictures  of  Butler  as  hyena.  I  should  like  to  have 
the  large  oil  painting. 


V. 

MARCH  17— MARCH  30,  1863. 

Tuesday,  March  17th  [1863].  Rose  this  morn 
ing  feeling  very  badly.  Coughed  a  great  deal 
last  night.  Slept  but  little,  but  in  the  short  in 
terval  dreamed  so  unhappily  that  Ginnie  awoke 
me  twice,  after  my  having  cried  out.  I  was 
among  crowds  of  people,  it  seemed,  with  a  heavy 
weight  upon  my  heart.  I  was  traveling  on  an 
immense  iron  steamer — saw  a  boy  fall  over  and 
drown,  whereupon  I  screamed  and  awoke.  After 
this  I  could  not  sleep.  Listened  long  to  see  if  I 
could  hear  the  guns  at  Port  Hudson.  For  several 
nights  the  firing  has  been  heard  by  some  people. 
At  Greenville  Judge  Ogden,  who  was  here  yester 
day,  heard  them  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
distinctly;  he  got  up  and  waked  the  girls,  who 
also  heard  them.  The  Judge  has  heard  that  his 
son  Billy  has  come  to  Mississippi  from  Virginia. 
He  can  not  tell  whether  on  furlough  or  with  the 
army.  It  is  reported  the  7th  Regiment,  Crescent 
Rifles,  is  outside  with  Col.  Harry  Hays  and  the 
great  Stonewall.  These  are  times  of  great  ex 
citement.  This  seems  to  us  all  the  crisis  of  the 
struggle.  If^we  are  successful  in  the  two  coming 
engagements  we  hope  to  have  peace  at  once.  If 

227 


228     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

the  North  fails  to  open  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Western  people  and  its  ports  to  the  world,  it  is 
thought  that  the  war  must  be  abandoned.  Heaven 
knows — the  people  of  the  North  seem  demented  to 
me.  That  they  should  feel  a  wild  regret  for  the 
loss  of  the  Southern  States,  after  having  goaded 
them  into  resistance,  seems  natural  enough,  but 
that  they  should  think  that  war  and  bloodshed 
will  restore  the  Union,  seems  but  a  fanatical 
dream.  No  one  more  sincerely  mourned  the 
Union  than  myself,  but  to  me  the  separation  of 
the  States  was  the  blow.  There  would  be  no 
Ineauty  in  union  now.  And  we  have  too  much 
dear  blood  to  remember  now,  if  not  to  revenge, 
ever  to  be  able  to  go  back  now.  Ah,  if  Vallandig- 
ham  had  only  been  president  instead  of  Lincoln ! 
Perhaps  these  things  are  all  intended — who  can 
tell!  The  existence  or  non-existence  of  a  nation 
cannot  be  disregarded  by  the  Higher  Intelligence. 
(Mrs.  Roselius  would  regard  this  expression  as  a 
proof  of  my  having  gone  through  a  course  of 
infidel  reading — she  came  to  this  conclusion  the 
other  day  when  she  heard  me  use  the  term  First 
Cause.) 

The  black  people  in  the  city  have  met  with 
the  most  dreadful  blow  at  the  hands  of  their 
Yankee  friends.  These  poor  people  have  been 
misled  by  every  wile  and  persuaded  to  leave  their 
owners  and  even  in  many  instances  to  be  insolent 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     229 

to  them.  I  know  of  a  number  of  instances  where 
they  have  been  promised  by  the  Yankees  freedom, 
riches,  free  markets,  a  continual  basking  in  the 
sun,  places  in  the  Legislative  Halls,  possession  of 
white  people 's  houses,  and  a  great  deal  more ;  of 
course,  these  infinite  temptations  have  proved  too 
much  for  them — they  have  gone  over  in  numbers 
to  the  Yankees,  insulting  white  people  in  the 
streets  and  in  houses.  They  have  been  protected 
by  Yankee  courts  here,  both  in  murder  and  rob 
bery.  And  after  all  this  they  are  being  picked  up 
singly  and  collectively  and  driven  by  Yankee 
bayonets  to  the  plantations,  where  they  are  to 
work  or  be  shot  down.  All  servants  who  have 
not  passes  given  them  by  the  Yankee  authorities, 
are  to  be  disposed  of  in  this  way — and  as  no  pass 
is  granted  to  any  owner  who  has  not  taken  the 
oath,  a  terrible  scene  of  confusion  is  at  work. 
These  Yankees  pretend  that  they  have  come  to 
restore  civilization  and  justice  to  this  benighted 
Southern  land  and  assume  in  all  their  printed 
work  a  vast  philanthropic  sympathy  for  the  op 
pressed  race;  never  since  the  Southern  people 
have  owned  slaves  has  the  separation  of  families 
been  carried  on  on  as  large  scale  as  now.  Indeed 
negroes  have  been  more  protected  from  separa 
tion  than  white  people  until  now.  To-day  from 
forty  to  fifty  colored  women,  picked  up  without 
notification  on  the  streets,  were  driven  at  the 


230     JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

point  of  Yankee  bayonets  on  a  boat  and  taken  to 
a  plantation.  Yankee  soldiers  seize  those  even 
who  are  with  their  own  mistresses,  unless  they 
have  Yankee  passes.  "Have  you  a  pass?"  is  the 
question,  and  if  the  victim  is  not  so  protected, 
"Fall  into  line  then,"  is  the  response.  Among  all 
the  crimes  Yankee  writers  have  heaped  upon  us, 
this  cannot  be  enumerated.  Mary,  Mrs.  Norton's 
woman,  came  to  us  just  now;  she  is  very  uneasy 
about  her  young  daughter  Emma,  who  is  hired 
out.  She  fears  the  Yankees  will  take  her  off. 
Indeed,  she  fears  to  be  taken,  too,  as  she  can  get 
no  pass,  and  some  houses  even  have  been  entered 
by  the  soldiers.  The  insolent  negroes  who  have 
been  boasting  of  Yankee  support  are  very  much 
crest-fallen  and  ashamed.  One  of  Mrs.  Roselius's 
threatened  to  have  a  gentleman  arrested  last 
week ;  this  week  she  is  powerless. 

Mary  Ogden  just  in  from  Greenville — full 
of  news  and  excited.  "It  was  the  Alba 
tross  that  passed  the  batteries"  and  was 
very  much  injured — so  was  the  Hartford: 
Both  injured  and  between  two  fires.  Farragut, 
they  say,  has  pronounced  the  attack  useless,  but 
makes  it  because  ordered  to  do  so.  I  really  do  not 
suppose  he  has  opened  his  mouth  upon  the  sub 
ject.  He  is  a  brave  man,  this  much  we  all  accord 
him.  His  family  live  here,  and  he  was  educated, 
it  is  said,  by  one  of  the  charitable  institutions  of 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     231 

this  city.  His  relatives  would  not  receive  him 
after  the  city  fell,  and  when  the  shelling  of  the 
city  was  imminent,  he  sent  word  that  he  would 
protect  them  and  received  in  answer  that  they 
would  not  accept  his  protection.  It  was  reported 
at  the  time  that  his  mother  was  here,  but  that  was 
untrue;  she  is  dead.  I  remember  laughing  at 
the  excited  manner  in  which  Martine  Ogden  ex 
claimed  that  the  city  would  be  safe.  "For  surely," 
said  she,  "he  won't  shell  his  mother." 

The  Era  is  filled  with  insolent  braggadocio  be 
cause  Farragut  has  passed — even  in  crippled 
condition.  The  Yankees  have  called  their  mili 
tary  collection  in  all  quarters — "The  vast 
Anaconda,"  which  is  "to  crush  the  rebellion." 
We  think  that  Farragut 's  being  separated  from 
the  fleet  by  powerful  batteries  looks  very  much  as 
if  the  head  of  the  water  snake  was  severed  from 
its  body.  He  said  that  Ms  ship  should  pass, 
though  that  should  be  the  only  one.  The  town 
is  all  excitement — the  Yankees  here  expect  an 
attack.  Indeed,  if  possible,  we  should  make  it — 
the  enemy  would  then  have  to  capitulate.  The 
forts  below  we  could  ta^e  later.  Every  hour 
brings  its  report.  Indeed,  it  is  an  awful  time, 
fraught  as  it  is  with  death  and  ruin  to  the  major 
ity.  The  Yankee  woman  at  the  corner  is  in  much 
trouble ;  we  think  that  she  has  heard  no  hopeful 
news  from  Baton  Rouge.  She  is  all  packed  to 


232     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

start  somewhere  at  a  moment's  notice.  Mary 
Ogden  took  dinner  and  passed  the  afternoon  with 
us.  She  had  been  out  in  the  morning  to  look  up 
some  Mrs.  Colonel  Pinckney,  who  is  just  in  from 
the  Confederacy,  and  knows  her  brother  in  the 
army.  This  lady  reports  everything  going  on 
well  outside.  She  passed  through  Baton  Rouge. 
On  the  way  she  fell  in  with  many  Federal  sol 
diers — they  volunteered  conversation  and  told 
her  a  good  deal.  She  is  a  daughter  of  an  officer 
in  the  old  United  States'  army,  and  was  brought 
up  in  garrison  circles,  so  I  presume  she  knew 
how  to  talk  to  military  folk.  She  learned  that  the 
soldiers  at  Baton  Rouge  were  bent  on  not  fight 
ing — that  they  were  going  over  to  us  at  the  first 
opportunity.  Vicksburg  and  Jackson  are  filled 
with  officers  and  men  who  have  resigned  the  Fed 
eral  service.  This  seems  almost  incredible,  but 
this  war  is  being  held  now  as  both  useless,  sense 
less  and  wicked.  Thousands  of  these  soldiers  say 
they  do  not  hate  Southern  people  and  that  they 
want  to  live  among  them.  Two  officers  left  the 
steamer  Mississippi  and  changed  their  uniform 
before  that  unfortunate  vessel  left  this  city. 

Late  in  the  evening  I  took  a  walk  and  stopped  at 
Doctor  Glenn's — found  Sarah  in  bed  with  a  room 
ful  of  ladies.  Her  baby  is  nine  days  old — called 
"Robert  Lee,"  after  our  great  General.  Mrs. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     233 

Pritchard  and  her  daughter  were  there  and  told 
me  much  of  what  these  Federals  are  doing  in  the 
city.  If  the  United  States  had  chosen  to  war 
against  the  Union,  instead  of  for  it,  she  could  not 
have  chosen  better  people  for  her  service.  Three 
ladies  of  Mrs.  Pritchard 's  acquaintance  were  ar 
rested  not  long  ago  and  thrown  into  a  room  filled 
with  all  sorts  of  horrid  people — drunken  soldiers 
and  half-dressed  ones — for  having  been  singing 
"The  Bonnie  Blue  Flag"  in  their  own  houses  with 
some  officers  from  the  British  ship.  Another  lady 
giving  an  entertainment  to  some  British  officers  in 
her  own  home  had  it  forcibly  entered  and  was 
threatened  with  a  search  for  flags  while  the  com 
pany  were  present.  These  disgraceful  things 
often  happen.  Not  very  long  ago  an  officer  rode 
in  among  the  flowers  in  Mrs.  Budike's  yard,  be 
cause  a  child  was  singing  "The  Bonnie  Blue 
Flag ' ' — he  had  the  lady  called  to  the  balcony,  and 
told  her  that  it  was  "a  pity  that  United  States 
officers  who  had  worked  hard  all  day  could  not 
take  a  ride  for  recreation  without  being  insulted 
by  that  Rebel  song."  Was  there  ever  such  non 
sense  and  such  a  want  of  pride  and  dignity.  I'm 
afraid  that  Mrs.  Stewart's  daughters  next  door 
will  be  arrested  some  day,  for  their  piano  and 
mingled  voices  are  continually  doing  duty  to  that 
contraband  ditty.  A  gentleman  of  Mrs.  Pritch 
ard 's  acquaintance  has  been  arrested — he  asked 


234     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Mayor  Miller  wherefore,  "For  hanging  out  a 
Confederate  flag,"  said  he.  "I  know  the  gentle 
man,  "  said  Mrs.  Pritchard,  "and  I  am  sure  he 
did  no  such  foolhardy  a  thing — he  would  not  be 
guilty  of  such  silly  hardihood."  "Oh,  well,  then," 
returned  this  easy-natured  upstart,  "he  must 
have  had  one  somewhere  in  his  house,  and  besides 
he  has  been  circulating  these  obnoxious  poems," 
meaning  the  "Battle  of  the  Handkerchiefs"  and 
a  prose  article  purporting  to  be  an  official  report 
of  one  of  Banks'  men.  The  town  is  flooded  with 
these  articles — some  of  them  very  cutting.  The 
Federals  can  not  find  out  their  authors  or  the 
place  of  their  publishing. 

Mrs.  Callender  has  just  been  in;  says  she  is 
going  to  the  funeral  of  Commander  Cummings, 
who  was  killed  up  the  river  when  Farragut 
passed.  We  told  her  she  would  be  taken  for  one 
of  the  mourners.  She  laughed.  Colonel  Clarke, 
the  only  gentleman  among  the  Federals,  has  been 
wounded,  some  say  seriously;  his  death  is  even 
reported.  There  appears  to  be  much  regret  for 
him  among  our  people,  and  if  he  is  brought  here 
our  women  intend  to  do  all  in  their  power  for 
him,  to  show  their  grateful  distinction  between 
himself  and  others. 

March  21st  [1863].  I  have  not  written,  because 
Ginnie  has  been  sick,  and  I  have  been  far  from 
well,  and  nothing  has  appeared  worthy  of  record. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     235 

Thousands  of  rumors  are  floating,  and  all  our 
conversation  is  made  up  of  a  record  of  them. 
Mary  Ogden  and  Jule  were  down  again  from 
Greenville,  to  gather  as  much  excitement  as  pos 
sible.  The  voice  which  proclaims  the  daily, 
hourly  coming  of  the  Confederates  is  swelling 
louder.  We  whisper  (not  so  softly  as  when  But 
ler  was  here)  and  tell  what  Mrs.  This  One  said, 
and  Mrs.  The  Other  One  has  heard,  and  feed  our 
selves  with  hope  that  we  are  soon  to  take  New 
Orleans  back;  break  our  chains;  go  where  we 
please,  and  finish  the  war.  I  told  Mr.  Randolph, 
though,  this  morning,  that  I  did  not  intend  to 
grow  the  least  excited  on  the  subject,  as  I  did 
last  summer,  and  that  I  never  would  believe  any 
thing  until  I  heard  the  cannon.  A  very  loud  one 
was  fired  near  us  yesterday,  and  for  one  moment 
my  heart  leaped  up.  For  the  first  time  in  a  long 
series  of  months  I  would  be  glad  to  hear  of  an 
attack  on  this  city.  Now  the  attack,  the  taking 
and  the  holding  seem  natural  enough  and  easy  to 
do.  The  city  is  poorly  defended  now,  and  we 
have  captured  quite  a  show  of  a  navy  from  the 
enemy.  The  Indianola  is  said  to  be  all  safe 
by  those  coming  in.  It  is  reported  that  Far- 
ragut's  vessel  and  the  one  that  passed  the  bat 
teries  with  her,  has  been  captured  above  Baton 
Rouge.  We  know  that  Banks  has  had  to  fall 
back  upon  that  place,  after  having  made  an  ad- 


236     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

vance.  'Tis  said  that  we  will  attack  Mm  there; 
some  say  that  we  have  already  done  so.  Eeports 
of  wounded  and  killed  vary — some  say  1,700; 
others  8,000.  Forty  ambulances  with  wounded 
have  been  brought  here,  though  these  are  said  to 
have  come  from  Weitzel's  command,  which  is 
somewhere  in  the  LaFourche  country.  One  am 
bulance  has  just  passed  here,  followed  by  two 
vehicles  containing  women  and  children.  One  of 
the  women  in  a  long  sun-bonnet  was  bending  over 
as  if  weeping;  some  soldier  who  enlisted  here 
"for  his  thirteen  dollars  a  month  and  grub/' 
perhaps.  While  at  Greenville  I  saw  two  ambu 
lances  with  dead  bodies  in  them.  From  one  the 
stiff  feet  and  legs  stuck  out  at  one  end ;  the  shoes 
were  still  on  and  the  blue  uniform,  which  we  have 
learned  to  hate  so.  This  was  a  dreadful  sight  to 
me ;  how  can  one  survive  the  horrors  of  a  battle 
field  !  Mrs.  Waugh  has  heard  that  her  son  Char 
ley  is  at  Tangipaho — a  sort  of  camp  of  deten 
tion  and  instruction  about  thirty  miles  from  here. 
He  is  in  Breckinridge  's  Division,  and  loves  his 
old  commander  so  much  that  he  would  never  have 
joined  any  other  when  he  returned  from  his  pa 
role  here;  we  therefore  infer  that  Charley  Lord 
is  with  Breckinridge  at  Tangipaho,  and  that  the 
Confederates  are  really  near  here  and  thinking 
of  coming  in.  These  are  the  straws  to  which  we 
cling.  Mrs.  Waugh  has  also  heard  from  her  son 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     237 

Arthur;  that  he  is  at  Tangipaho;  why  are  these 
veterans  of  at  least  twenty  battle-fields  at  a  camp 
of  instruction  so  near  us? 

Letters  from  Charley  Chilton  say  that  Billy 
Ogden  (who  was  stationed  when  last  we 
heard  at  Fredericksburg)  is  also  in  Hinds 
county;  so  is  Sydney  Harrison,  his  cousin. 
Charley  cannot  tell  us  what  all  these  young  men 
are  doing  there  lest  some  of  these  prying  Fed 
erals  get  hold  of  the  letter,  but  he  says  we  may 
all  meet  soon  again.  Letters  from  Mrs.  Brown 
and  Mary  Lu  Harrison  have  also  come.  The 
young  people  outside  have  been  amusing  them 
selves  with  love  affairs.  They  tell  on  each  other 
when  they  write,  and  in  this  way  we  become 
familiar  with  the  whole  programme.  Mrs.  B.  says 
Mary  Lu  is  engaged  to  Jimmy  Perkins,  a  Vir 
ginia  soldier  and  a  great-grandson  of  Patrick 
Henry's.  Charley  Chilton  is  engaged,  Mary  Lu 
says,  to  Miss  Stokes,  of  Clinton.  (I  thought  he 
loved  Bettie  Smith  when  he  left  here.)  Sarah 
Chilton  has  been  reaping  coquettish  honors  on  a 
large  scale.  She  went  to  Mollie  Emanuers  wed 
ding,  in  Vicksburg,  and  attracted  much  attention. 
She  is  very  pretty,  and  knows  it  well.  She  has 
an  inordinate  love  of  admiration,  very  unlike  her 
cousin,  Mary  Lu,  who  has  really  romantic  ideas 
in  love.  There  were  some  very  distinguished 
people  at  Miss  E.'s  wedding,  the  letters  say,  and 


238     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

by  these  people  Sarali  was  particularly  admired. 
She  is  much  talked  of,  they  say.  We  are  left  to 
guess  who  the  distinguished  people  are.  Presi 
dent  Davis  was  in  Vicksburg  when  the  wedding 
came  off,  and  I  expect  was  there,  but  he  is  mar 
ried.  Pemberton  is  in  command,  also  Lee,  some 
where  in  that  region — one  or  both  of  these  may 
be  captive  to  the  young  beauty.  It  reminds  one 
of  the  old,  old  days,  this  company — feasting,  rid 
ing,  dancing  and  love-making  and  slaying  of 
men's  hearts.  Fred  Ogden,  too,  the  young  cap 
tain  of  a  gun  or  two  at  Vicksburg,  is  engaged  to 
somebody,  whose  name  I  can  not  learn.  The  girls 
here  have  no  beaux  to  look  at  but  the  Federal 
officers,  who  receive  anything  but  loving  looks, 
and  the  British  officers  who,  belonging  to  but  a 
ship  or  two,  cannot  serve  for  all.  The  Stay-at- 
homes  are  not  in  good  repute.  It  is  reported  that 
the  Federals  are  about  to  conscript  the  latter 
class  who  have  taken  the  oath.  We  wish  they 
would,  and  arm  them  well ;  they  would  not  be  of 
much  service  to  poor  old  "Uncle  Sam."  Tfte 
Budget  of  Fun  has  a  picture  or  representation  of 
Uncle  Sam  being  bled  by  the  Doctor  (Chase),  who 
holds  a  bowl  labeled  "U.  S.  Treasury/'  The 
stream  from  poor  Uncle 's  arm  is  called  l '  Taxes. ' ' 
The  patient  complains  of  great  weakness,  though 
clad  in  stars  and  stripes,  but  is  persuaded  by 
Chase  that  he  can  hold  out  a  little  longer.  A  side- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     239 

view  gives  Louis  Napoleon  and  John  Bull  arm- 
in-arm,  with  "Wait  till  he  gets  weaker,  and  then 
we  will  cut  in." 

Do  you  know,  my  poor  journal,  that  these  very, 
very  funny  things,  about  matters  so  very,  very 
serious,  make  me  sigh!  Uncle  Sam's  weakness 
gives  me  no  pleasure,  good  Confederate  as  I  am. 
Oh,  why,  in  his  strength,  did  he  not  let  us  go! 
Read  a  beautiful  speech  of  Ben  Wood's  begging 
for  peace;  another  of  Henry  May's  calling  for 
peace  and  instant  recognition.  This  is  an  infe 
rior  speech  as  regards  eloquence,  and  from  a 
Marylander,  disappointed  me.  I  was  angry 
enough  with  Henry  May  for  having  accepted  a 
seat  in  the  United  States  Congress  on  any  terms. 
He  says  himself  that  the  people  of  Maryland  have 
been  treated  in  the  most  tyrannical  manner.  He 
also  says  he  accepted  the  seat  to  keep  it  from 
another,  who  might  do  Maryland  more  harm. 
The  only  way  to  honor  the  poor  old  State  is  to 
repudiate  a  seat  in  that  infamous  horde  alto 
gether.  Vorhees'  speech  on  the  habeas  corpus 
bill  is  good,  strong  argument,  all  of  it,  though  it 
is  not  embued  with  the  sentiment  of  tenderness 
as  is  Wood's.  It  is  not  without  many  noble  pro 
tests  that  the  Northern  people  are  yielding  up 
their  Magna  Charta.  I  see  that  at  the  closing 
of  Congress,  that  Lincoln  was  endowed  with  every 
power  of  dictator.  Treasury,  personal  liberty, 


240     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

army  and  navy,  and  the  people  at  large  to  con 
script  at  will — are  at  his  disposal.  They  are  so 
anxious — the  poor  Northerners — to  make  chains 
for  us  to  wear,  that  they  forget  that  they  are  be 
ing  fitted  on  their  own  stalwart  limbs.  It  seems 
that  heaven  has  stricken  this  people  with  political 
blindness. 

There  have  been  so  many  people  here  to 
day  that  my  head  is  in  a  whirl  with  the  rumors  I 
have  heard.  We  have  the  Hartford,  the  Alba 
tross;  Farragut,  a  prisoner,  is  on  his  way  to 
Richmond,  where  he  will  be  held  as  hostage  for 
Butler;  Banks'  men  have  mutinied — they  have, 
before  battle,  declared  their  intention  to  run,  and, 
after  being  blindly  trusted  by  Banks  after  such 
sincere  demonstrations,  they  have  been  straight 
way  as  good  as  their  word.  The  Confederates 
are  building  a  bridge  at  Manchac,  over  which 
they  are  to  walk  straightway  to  this  city,  having 
Banks'  army  and  Farragut 's  fleet  in  sort  of  a 
military  calaboose.  A  young  lady,  a  supposed 
spy  of  the  Confederates,  was  shaking  her  head  in 
a  very  peculiar  way;  said  "Yes"  or  "No"  to  sev 
eral  political  questions  in  a  mysterious  manner; 
said  young  lady  just  in  from  the  Confederacy — 
left  there  last  Saturday  evening  about  dusk — 
was  escorted  to  the  boat  by  Lieutenant  Miller,  a 
gallant  young  Confederate,  who  told  her  all  sorts 
of  things,  and  likewise  shook  his  head,  and  having 


MISS  EMILY  VIRGINIA  MASON 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     241 

performed  this  expressive  pantomime,  showed 
her  practically  the  lumber  of  which  the  Manchac 
bridge  was  to  be  built,  and  told  her  of  the  dispatch 
which  he  had  at  that  moment  received,  saying 
that  Banks  had  been  whipped,  and  that  the  Stars 
and  Bars  were  floating  over  land  and  wave  at 
Baton  Rouge.  Federal  officers  of  high  rank  have 
been  known  to  cry  out  almost  in  anguish,  * '  Oh,  if 
we  could  only  hear  from  Banks !"  They  have 
been  in  such  a  wretched  state  of  mind  that  they 
made  their  longing  speeches  in  the  very  faces  of 
good  Confederates.  Others  have  been  heard  to 
say  that  they  would  go  up  to  Baton  Rouge  im 
mediately — if  they  were  only  sure  of  getting  back. 
WeitzePs  whole  army  has  been  cut  off  from  all 
communication  in  LaFourche  from  this  city.  His 
dead  and  wounded  have  come  in,  but  the  bridge 
has  since  been  destroyed.  The  artillery  which 
was  sent  off  to-day,  bag  and  baggage,  have  come 
back;  the  provisions  which  were  also  sent  to  his 
assistance  have  returned  also.  In  short,  we  Con 
federates  here  have  set  things  going  in  an  entirely 
new  and  spirited  style — and  we  are  to  have  this 
city  back  in  a  day  or  two,  at  furthest — some  say 
to-morrow,  some  are  considerate  enough  to  wait 
until  Tuesday  next.  Stonewall  Jackson  will  cer 
tainly  be  here  before  the  week  is  out.  In  fact,  we 
are  having  over  again  the  scenes  of  last  summer 
up  till  the  time  of  the  loss  of  that  Phoenix,  the 


242     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Arkansas  Ram.  Federals  are  growing  impru 
dent,  it  seems.  Officers  say  that  they  know  that 
they  will  be  captured  here  and  tried  for  their 
lives.  Oh,  that  I  should  waste  paper  in  these 
hard  times,  when  cotton  is  being  burned  by  proud 
Confederates  every  day,  with  such  a  medley  as 
private  conversations  are  made  of  now!  We 
women  are  at  a  loss  to  know  quite  what  we  shall 
do  after  we  hear  the  cannon.  Shall  we  shut  up 
our  doors  to  keep  scared  contrabands  from  claim 
ing  fellowship  with  us,  or  run  out  to  shake  hands 
with  our  soldiers ! 

There  is  sometimes  a  reverse  picture.  Mrs. 
Norton  sent  Mary  Jane,  the  servant,  to 
pump  political  information  from  the  Yan 
kee  woman  who  lives  in  a  small  house  at  the  cor 
ner,  captured  from  Mr.  Phillips.  The  woman, 
whose  husband  is  in  the  Federal  army  at  Baton 
Rouge,  has  her  plans  laid  out  as  regularly  as 
ours.  The  Monitor  has  passed  the  Port  Hudson 
batteries ;  Farragut  is  safe  and  well,  on  the  flag 
ship  Hartford;  Port  Hudson  is  entirely  torn  to 
pieces,  and  the  Confederates  and  Federals  are 
near  enough  for  conversation — in  short,  she  will 
have  the  "  rebellion "  over  in  a  few  days.  All 
these  statements,  and  the  reverse,  come  from  the 
most  reliable  people.  I  think  the  fabled  well  has 
caved  in  and  covered  up  dear  Truth  forever.  If 
she  survives  sufficiently  after  this  war  is  over  to 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     243 

give  us  a  history  of  it,  it  will  be  more  than  I  ex 
pect  of  her.  Some  earnest  articles  in  Northern 
papers  are  calling  for  true  statements  to  be  made 
to  the  people.  The  war  has  been  kept  up  by  de 
ception.  It  is  time  that  the  North  should  know 
that  her  enemy  is  quick  in  resource,  brave,  vigi 
lant,  determined  and  persevering — that  she  has 
been  unfortunate  on  land  and  sea ;  that  her  foe  is 
neither  too  naked  or  starved  too  much  to  fight 
valiantly,  and  that  last  of  all,  that  the  famous 
canal  is  a  failure.  The  proud  Northern  trans 
ports  will  never  sail  through  it  to  carry  soldiers 
to  die  on  the  Walnut  Hills.  The  upper  army  is 
in  sad  plight;  that  I  can  see  from  their  own  pa 
pers.  The  constant  rising  of  the  Mississippi  de 
prives  them  even  of  a  dry  camp.  The  sun  is 
growing  quite  hot  now,  and  mosquitoes  must  be 
gin  to  torment  the  sick  and  suffering.  I  feel  sorry 
for  the  thousands  of  poor  aching  heads  that  are 
now  lying  far  from  woman's  kindly  aid,  in  many 
a  dismal  camp,  both  Federal  and  Confederate.  I 
feel  oftener  sorry  for  the  Federals,  I  believe, 
though  the  Confederates  are  dearer.  Our  boys 
are  sustained  by  the  knowledge  that  they  are 
right.  Who  would  not  be  sustained  for  fighting 
for  hearthstone  and  native  land!  The  constant 
statements  of  the  Northern  papers  prove  that  the 
Federal  army  is  dissatisfied  and  in  a  state  of  de 
moralization.  Hooker  has  just  dismissed  forty 


244     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

officers  in  disgrace.  A  few  days  ago  he  had  to 
shoot  at  the  privates,  right  and  left.  In  this  town 
soldiers  are  deserting  constantly,  I  know.  From 
all  accounts  it  would  seem  that  Banks  has  found 
in  New  Orleans  a  Capua — though  he  is  no  Han 
nibal.  Fifteen  hundred  deserters  have  been 
taken  up  recently  in  New  York  City.  The  Ad 
ministration  blames  the  Generals,  Admirals  and 
contractors,  and  changes  them  forthwith;  the 
people  blame  the  Administration,  and  so  the  pa 
pers  get  filled  with  complaints.  Only  a  few  wise, 
noble  men  assail  the  Cause;  and  these  are  not 
hearkened  to  or  obeyed.  There  is  a  goodly  show 
of  verse  in  town  commemorating  Strong's  dispers 
ing  the  members  of  Doctor  Goodrich 's  church. 
I  have  not  seen  them.  Doctor  Goodrich,  now  in 
New  York,  writes  to  his  wife.  I  believe  I  have  re 
corded  that  he  and  two  others — Mr.  Fulton  and 
Doctor  Leacock — were  refused  a  landing  here  be 
cause  they  had  refused  to  take  the  oath.  In  the 
St.  Nicholas  Hotel,  New  York,  Colonel  Strong  met 
Doctor  Goodrich,  and  remembering  his  face,  and 
not  where  he  had  seen  it,  spoke  to  him  and  asked 
his  name.  "I,  sir,"  said  the  minister,  "am  Doctor 
Goodrich,  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  New  Orleans,  and 
you,  sir,  are  Colonel  Strong."  He  then  turned 
on  his  heel  and  left  him.  I  do  not  envy  Strong's 
feelings  for  the  moment.  We  heard  that  he  had 
had  compunctions  about  breaking  up  the  church, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     245 

and  that  he  was  very  pale  and  trembled,  but  be 
ing  commissioned  by  the  strong-willed  Butler, 
obeyed.  I  was  told  that  Strong  said  he  thought 
the  women  would  fly  at  him.  This  accounts  for 
his  paleness,  I  suppose. 

Sunday,  22  [March].  General  Banks  arrived 
last  night,  having  in  train  two  boatloads  of  ne 
groes  to  be  put  on  plantations  below  the  city.  This 
is  very  nice  work  for  an  abolition  General,  and 
there  is  no  word  of  it  in  the  Yankee  Era,  which 
must  keep  as  respectable  a  face  as  possible  before 
the  world.  General  Banks'  arrival  is  not  men 
tioned — why,  we  can  not  say.  Why  he  is  here, 
thousands  are  at  this  moment  at  work  to  discover. 
Mrs.  Norton  sent  Mary  Jane  to  General  Banks' 
house  (at  least  to  his  residence,  which  is  her 
daughter's  house,  and  where  are  some  of  the  ser 
vants  left  by  Mrs.  Harrison  when  she  went  off). 
Jane  discovered  from  the  servants  that  Banks  is 
to  return  immediately ;  that  he  has  brought  down 
many  servants  and  about  twenty  prisoners,  and 
that  Port  Hudson  has  been  torn  to  pieces,  and 
that  Farragut  is  quite  safe  and  is  industriously 
aiding  the  work  of  "Rebel"  starvation  by  keep 
ing  guard  over  the  mouth  of  Red  River.  Some  of 
this  information  we  Rebels  take  the  liberty  of 
doubting,  though  old  Harriet  professed  to  have 
gathered  all  this  from  Banks'  own  lips  by  listen 
ing  at  the  door.  Of  course,  speculation  runs  riot 


246     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

— that  the  attack  on  Port  Hudson  is  abandoned, 
and  that  it  is  not,  are  now  matters  of  argument. 
The  Yankee  Era  and  our  Federalist  neighbor  say 
that  Banks  did  not  go  up  to  do  anything,  and  that 
he  has  accomplished  all  he  intended  to  do.  Of 
course  we  are  not  to  be  so  hoodwinked,  and  do 
not  believe  all  the  extravagant  reports  of  our  suc 
cesses,  but  we  do  know  that  Banks  and  army  sal 
lied  out  of  Baton  Kouge,  and  after  a  few  skir 
mishes,  made  a  hasty  retreat  thereto;  we  also 
know  that  torn-to-pieces-Port  Hudson  still 
proudly  rears  her  protecting  crest,  and  while  she 
does  so  Banks  and  his  famous  "expedition," 
which  has  been  filling  the  public  mouth,  has  not 
done  yet  what  it  traveled  so  many  miles  to  do. 
Indeed,  we  think  of  little  else  and  talk  of  little 
else  but  "Banks'  Expedition."  This  matter  of 
Port  Hudson  seems  to  the  public  mind  what  Vicks- 
burg  was  when  she  was  attacked — a  turning  point, 
a  crisis  in  our  affairs.  No  mere  battle  could  ex 
cite  quite  so  many  hopes  and  fears.  Should  we 
lose  control  of  this  great  river,  our  chances  for 
peace  are  delayed  for  an  indefinite  time,  perhaps 
forever.  Should  Port  Hudson  fall,  or  Vicksburg, 
thousands  of  hearts  would  lose  hope  to  struggle, 
though  we  all  say,  "Nothing  can  make  us  give 
up."  Were  our  supposed  conquerors  a  different 
people ;  if  the  faintest  shadow  of  generosity  pre 
vailed  in  the  national  councils,  we  might  strike 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND     247 

less  boldly;  but  as  matters  now  stand,  each  Sou 
thern  man  knows  and  feels  that  there  are  no  such 
words  for  him  as  home  and  country  unless  the 
uncivilized  hordes  which  desolate  both  are  stricken 
low  or  beaten  from  Southern  shores. 

The  negroes  and  soldiery  are  behaving  dread 
fully  about  Baton  Eouge  (in  the  country).  My 
blood  runs  cold  to  think  of  all  the  dreadful  deeds 
which  have  been  done.  Many  a  noble  protest  comes, 
even  from  the  North,  against  the  way  in  which  this 
war  has  been  carried  on.  Turchim,  who  committed 
unspeakable  crimes  in  northern  Alabama,  and 
who  was  court-martialed  and  dismissed  for  the 
same  by  the  gentlemen  of  the  army,  was  after 
wards  rewarded  by  "Honest  Abe"  and  his  ac 
complices.  Blenker's  degraded  command  are 
forever  rendered  infamous  for  their  outrages  in 
the  Virginia  Valley.  What  untold  horrors  have 
been  committed  and  unpunished  in  Tennessee, 
Northern  Mississippi,  in  Arkansas  and  Missouri ! 
Our  blood  has  congealed  at  the  recitals  sent  us, 
and  sleep  been  driven  from  our  eyes  at  night  by 
the  shocking  details  that  we  can  not,  out  of  re 
spect  to  public  decency,  reproduce.  All  these  out 
rages  perpetrated  without  inquiry  and  without 
punishment,  at  the  hands  of  the  commandants  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  in  Tennessee  and 
Arkansas.  Is  it  strange  that  a  soldiery  thus 
demoralized  prove  contemptible  on  the  field  of  bat- 


248     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

tie  where  they  meet  brave  men !  Here  are  accu 
sations  from  a  Northern  paper,  and  they  are  all 
true:  "A  mournful  contrast  is  presented  to  us 
of  the  North.  The  Confederate  General  Stuart 
made  a  raid  into  Pennsylvania  with  his  cavalry. 
Like  McClellan,  he  respected  private  property. 
Not  a  piece  of  bacon,  not  a  chicken  or  a  turkey 
was  stolen  from  the  defenceless  inhabitants  of 
Gettysburg  or  Chambersburg  by  his  ragged  and 
half-starved  troops.  In  the  language  we  heard 
from  the  lips  of  an  extreme  and  unconditional 
Union  man  of  those  parts,  opposite  whose  fine 
country-seat  a  body  of  Confederate  cavalry  biv 
ouacked  for  a  night  and  a  day,  'the  Confederate 
forces  were  ragged  and  lousy  gentlemen.1  A 
party  of  Lincoln's  cavalry  had  encamped  on  the 
same  grounds  previously,  and  in  the  language  of 
the  same  unconditional  Union  man,  their  conduct 
proved  them  to  be  'Comfortably  dressed  black 
guards.'  But  the  strong  contrast  we  purposed 
drawing  between  the  Confederates  in  Chambers- 
burg  and  the  Federals  in  Fredericksburg,  is  this : 
The  Confederates  visited  the  Chambersburg  Bank 
and  asked  if  there  were  any  Government  deposits 
there.  Being  satisfied  that  there  was  nothing 
but  private  property,  General  Stuart  ordered  the 
bank,  in  which  he  saw  thousands  of  gold,  to  be 
locked  up  and  guarded,  and  not  a  dollar  of  it  was 
taken.  In  Fredericksburg,  on  the  occasion  of 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     249 

Burnside's  disastrous  foray,  while  the  Irish  and 
other  brave  brigades  were  turning  their  reproach 
ful  eyes  where  Lincoln  was  telling  his  hateful 
jokes  to  his  Cabinet,  said,  like  the  gladiators  in 
the  pagan  arena, ' Imperator,  morituri  te  salutant 
(Despot,  we  salute  you!),  and  rush  on  to  certain 
death.  The  pet  regiments  of  the  Abolitionists  who 
did  not  rush  on  to  certain  death,  accomplished 
more  certainly  by  their  victory.  These  Achilles  of 
Puritanism  had  also  among  them  a  Homer,  wor 
thy  to  immortalize  their  deeds.  The  correspon 
dent  of  the  Abolition  Daily  Times,  of  this  city 
(New  York),  felt  his  soul  expand  as  he  dilated  on 
how  some  of  the  regiments  with  whom  he  stayed 
robbed  the  bank  of  Fredericksburg  and  pocketed 
the  'Rebel'  gold  of  those  Philistines — who,  though 
non-combatants  and  helpless — were  the  proper 
spoils  of  the  saints  of  New  England!"  Again: 
"When  this  war  is  over  a  charge  will  be  made 
against  a  Federal  General  on  the  Mississippi,  that 
after  capturing  slaves  he  hastened  them  off  for 
cotton  and  sent  the  cotton  to  the  North  and  sold 
it."  I  can  add  that  the  charge  can  be  brought 
against  many — not  one.  I  can  prove  that  house 
hold  furniture  has  been  boxed  up  and  sent  to 
women  at  the  North — taken  from  the  houses  cap 
tured  by  these  people ;  also  clothing  left  in  houses, 
household  treasures  and  luxuries,  even  shrubbery 
dug  from  private  yards.  '  *  Those  who  fought  with 


\ 

250     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Blenker  and  Milroy,  under  Banks  and  Fremont, 
plundered  and  destroyed.  Pope  began  his  igno 
minious  and  short-lived  career  by  adopting  plun 
der  as  a  rule."  "But  why,"  as  this  Northern 
journal  asks,  "dwell  on  outrages  on  property, 
when  still  more  horrible  atrocities  are  perpetrated 
and  go  unpunished  V9 

Human  depravity  sickens  me;  I  must  turn 
from  the  picture  which  our  bleeding  country 
presents.  How  do  I  know  that  New  Orleans 
may  not  soon  be  called  to  play  her  part  in 
the  fearful  drama !  The  presence  of  a  large  for 
eign  population  has  hitherto  preserved  her  from 
common  outrage.  The  privates  have  been  held 
in  check ;  the  officers  only  have  robbed  in  the  name 
of  the  law.  The  houses  and  funds  of  defenceless 
women  have  been  seized,  and  numbers  have  been 
fed  on  charity,  or  starve,  who,  before  the  Federals 
came,  were  well  off.  No  general  sacking  has  taken 
place,  but  we  are  threatened  with  pillage  and  fire 
if  the  Confederates  attempt  to  take  the  city.  But 
ler  did  not  scruple  to  say  last  summer  that  he  had 
signals  all  ready,  and  a  Confederate  attack  on 
this  place  would  let  San  Domingo  in  upon  us. 
These  Federals  have  done  so  many  awful  things 
that  we  are  prepared  to  believe  anything  of  their 
capacity  for  evil.  I  do  not  judge  them  by  Confed 
erate  accounts — in  our  excited  state  we  might 
color  too  highly — but  by  the  accounts  of  their  own 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     251 

people  and  their  protests  against  them.  Their 
accusations  have  been  as  bitter  as  ours.  It  is 
comforting  to  know  that  there  are  some  kindly 
spirits  at  the  North. 

Mary  Harrison  has  been  in  from  Greenville  to  see 
Ginnie,  who  has  been  sick ;  she  brought  some  nice 
jelly  which  she  had  made  herself.  I  told  her  she 
only  wanted  to  show  it  because  she  had  made  it, 
but  I  thanked  her  for  it,  though  pride  did  lie  at 
the  bottom;  the  jelly  was  so  clear  that  I  could  see 
her  plainly.  Mary  says  that  her  father  has  a 
letter  telling  him  that  Banks'  mysterious  retreat 
upon  Baton  Rouge  was  caused  by  Stonewall  Jack 
son's  appearance  in  that  region.  These  heroes 
have  met  before,  and  Banks  remembers  that  meet 
ing  well,  I'd  warrant.  If  Stonewall,  our  dear 
hero,  who  realizes  every  one's  ideas  of  a  true 
knight,  "tender  and  true,"  is  not  near  at  hand 
for  our  deliverance,  I  fear  many  of  us  will  die 
broken-hearted.  We  are  determined  to  believe 
that  he  is  hovering  near  our  lines.  Lee  is  enough 
for  Virginia  and  a  dozen  Hookers.  Why  should 
not  Stonewall  be  sent  to  such  an  important  point 
as  this?  Everything  depends  upon  the  conduct 
of  affairs  in  this  region.  So  we  reject  every  wise 
counsel  which  tells  us  to  "not  put  our  trust  in — " 
the  coming  of  our  favorite  knight.  A  Confeder 
ate  attack  is  expected,  and  the  Federal  long-roll 
has  been  beaten  at  dead  of  night.  The  Ogdens 


252      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

were  all  in  to-day,  breathless  and  voluble.  They 
know  Stonewall  is  outside — that  is  because  of  the 
spy  story.  Jule  looked  horrified  when  I  said  that 
I  believed  that  no  spy  would  take  so  many  into  his 
confidence.  Everybody  has  a  spy  story  now.  Mrs. 
Carr  called  in  a  soldier  from  her  gate  who  was  a 
little,  little  too  far  advanced  upon  a  certain  road. 
He  was  a  Confederate  soldier  in  Yankee  clothes, 
who  was  out  of  his  mind  (for  a  moment),  and  was 
blabbing  Confederate  secrets.  After  making  him 
sleep  awhile  he  awoke  refreshed,  and  was  able  to 
tell  her  much  about  to  happen.  He  knew  all  about 
the  Confederates  coming,  but  a  few  minutes  after 
wards  he  recovered  his  mind  entirely  and  was  so 
stricken  with  remorse  for  having  revealed  Con 
federate  plans  that  he  wanted  to  make  all  present 
take  a  solemn  oath  to  reveal  nothing.  Of  course, 
they  made  ready  promise  about  keeping  it,  and 
feel  so  conscientious  that  they  have  only  broken 
it  to  their  particular  friends,  and  that  only  in 
whispers.  The  particular  friends  who  received 
such  good  tidings  under  protest,  likewise  are 
equally  as  conscientious,  and  have  not  yet  pro 
claimed  from  a  housetop,  but  have  whispered  in 
parlors  and  private  sanctums.  There  is  a  great 
change  in  morals  close  at  hand,  at  all  events — we 
have  all  vowed  to  believe  in  nothing  forevermore 
if  the  Confederates  do  not  come  this  time.  Heaven 
defend  us  from  such  a  state  of  atheism.  Mrs. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     253 

Judge  Clark  is  here.  She  is  a  sweet,  sweet  old 
lady,  but  she  is  deaf  and  has  heard  nothing;  we 
had  to  break  our  promise  about  the  whispering 
and  scream  into  her  ear  what  we  knew.  This  is 
only  the  one  infraction,  however.  Annie  Waugh 
was  here,  and  knew  a  great  deal  that  her  father 
could  vouch  for.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roselius  were 
here,  and  will  not  believe  in  anything — a  very  un 
interesting  state  of  affairs. 

Mrs.  Roselius  gave  us,  among  other  histo 
ries,  that  of  Mrs.  General  Valle,  who  has 
excited  some  interest  in  "  Rebel "  bosoms 
by  having  a  woman  arrested  for  looking  at 
her.  She  was  a  great  heiress  and  much  spoiled 
by  her  parents,  who,  when  she  came  of  age,  looked 
about  for  some  one  whom  she  could  marry.  After 
looking  far  and  wide  for  some  one  whom  she  would 
even  think  of,  she  remembered  suddenly  that  she 
had  a  cousin  at  West  Point.  He  was  of  her  own 
blood,  and  she  therefore  determined  to  marry 
him.  What  she  thought  worthy  of  doing  she  did 
forthwith.  I  did  not  hear  that  the  general  (then 
a  lieutenant)  made  any  demur.  He  agreed  with 
the  lady  in  thinking  that  the  human  race  was  made 
that  she  might  not  be  in  it  alone,  and  therefore 
ennuied  by  solitude.  This  lady,  after  marriage, 
thought  it  proper  that  a  person  in  her  position 
should  set  an  example  of  conjugal  affection.  She 
therefore  accompanied  her  husband  to  the  Rio 


254      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Grande — overlooking  his  command,  probably.  She 
had  never  eaten  a  dinner  in  her  life  without  ice 
cream;  therefore,  the  chemical  apparatuses  for 
making  it  were  packed  up  among  other  ' '  military 
necessities  "  of  the  Department  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
She  promoted  her  husband,  I  have  no  doubt,  for 
he  is  now  a  general.  I  am  not  exaggerating — 
this  is  the  woman's  own  story  of  herself,  given  out 
to  an  admiring  circle  of  visitors  and  listeners. 
She  travels  with  a  legion  of  pillows  which  are  ar 
ranged  for  her  by  her  general  and  a  real  gentle 
woman,  whose  reduced  condition  keeps  her  as 
companion  to  the  creature.  When  Mrs.  General 

V walks  abroad  from  hotel  or  on  steamer 

deck  her  two  attendants  announce  that  "Mrs. 
General  Valle  is  about  to  take  the  air."  What 
she  may  take  in  the  future,  heaven  only  knows  1 
It  is  enough  for  me  to  remember  that  the  news 
papers  say  she  has  had  a  woman  arrested  for 
looking  at  her,  and  that  a  Northern  court  has  sup 
ported  her  in  the  charge.  She  was  gazing,  it 
seems,  from  an  open  window  as  some  women 
passed,  one  of  whose  regard  was  attracted  to 
wards  her  for  an  undue  length  of  time.  She 
dresses  absurdly,  and  perhaps  attracted  attention 
on  this  score.  "Woman,  do  you  know  who  you 
are  looking  at?"  The  accused  betrayed  ignor 
ance  on  this  momentous  topic,  and — was  arrested. 
Mrs.  Ramsay,  a  neighbor,  knows  this  lady.  I  very 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     255 

much  fear  I  have  spelled  her  name  improperly,  in 
my  haste  and  usual  confusion.  I  feel  at  perfect 
liberty  with  other  words,  and  indeed,  with  sen 
tences,  but  with  what  relates  to  this  "precious 
piece  of  porcelain/'  who  certainly  needs  a  fall,  I 
should  like  to  be  careful.  Mrs.  Norton  has  been 
calling  and  reading  out  loud  to  me  from  the  next 
room.  I  hope  her  ladyship  will  take  my  default 
into  kindly  consideration;  so  do  I  hope  you  will 
also,  my  little  niece,  and  not  make  poor  Aunty  the 
excuse  and  example  of  a  journal  of  your  own  some 
day.  I  called  out  to  Mrs.  Norton  just  now  that  I 
had  read  a  certain  article  that  she  was  stumbling 
over,  and  she  answered,  "I  ain't  a-goin'  to  read 
to  you;  I  was  just  tellin'  you  what  lies  the  Yan 
kees  tell."  Late  last  night — indeed,  every  night 
— I  have  this  to  undergo.  To  say  that  I  am  un 
easy  is  not  to  say  enough.  I  wish  that  Ginnie,  at 
least,  was  in  a  quieter  home.  I  must  get  off  to 
Greenville  soon,  though  I  hate  to  leave  the  old 
lady  alone.  Our  friends  there  are  begging  for  us 
earnestly.  The  Ogdens  call  on  us  at  the  door, 
and  whisper  us  to  make  haste.  They  say  they  do 
not  like  to  ask  us  before  Mrs.  Norton. 

When  the  Yankees  came  in  town  Mrs.  Brown, 
Mrs.Dameron  and  Mrs.  Norton  came  to  us  and  said 
that  we  should  not  live  without  protection.  We 
therefore  broke  up  housekeeping,  intending  to  go 
to  sister,  in  Texas,  as  soon  as  possible.  We  sold 


256      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

our  furniture  (but  did  not  get  paid),  and  went  to 
Mrs.  Dameron's.  We  were  there  as  the  Yankees 
came  up  the  river,  and  sat  on  her  upper  gallery 
nearly  all  night  and  watched  the  flames  and  smoke 
which  rose  from  the  cotton  burning  on  the  levee, 
while  the  shouts  and  songs  of  the  multitude  sounded 
in  our  ears.  Her  baby,  William  Brown,  was  born 
that  night.  He  is  a  lovely  boy,  and  has  not  seen 
his  papa  yet,  though  he  is  nearly  a  year  old.  I 
should  have  liked  to  have  stayed  with  Mrs.  Dam- 
eron;  we  had  a  delightful  upstairs  room,  with 
dressing  room  attached  there;  but  Mrs.  Norton 
would  have  us  come  here.  She  came  over  to  Mrs. 
Dameron's  herself  and  slept  in  our  room  with  us 
until  we  consented  to  move.  She  meant  to  be 
kind,  I  know,  but  I  know  also  she  hates  to  be  alone ; 
that  she  hates  to  be  silent  or  to  allow  others  to 
remain  so.  She  has  said  that  she  is  fond  of  us; 
for  this  I  am  grateful,  and  I  do  believe  she  would 
do  us  any  kindness  she  could,  if  it  did  not  injure 
herself  or  family.  I  can  not  expect  more  of  her. 
People  are  accustomed  to  her  saying  what  she 
pleases,  and  even  the  Federals  here  know  her. 
Almost  the  whole  town  visits  her — she  is  so  fond 
of  company.  Mary,  the  servant,  was,  /  think,  ex 
cited  by  liquor  the  Bother  day,  and  broke  out  upon 
her  mistress  in  the  most  insolent  manner.  I  had 
often  heard  them  have  those  quarrels  together 
before,  but  never  knew  Mary  to  go  so  far.  Her 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     257 

mistress  told  her  she  might  go  to  the  Yankees  as 
soon  as  she  pleased ;  that  she  had  done  for  herself 
with  her  forever,  and  when  her  grandsons  re 
turned,  she  intended  to  have  her  well  paid  for  her 
insolence.  Mary  has  a  very  high  temper,  and 
when  she  gets  angry,  she  is  frightful  to  see.  When 
she  whips  little  Jake,  though  she  is  his  own  aunt, 
she  does  it  as  if  she  wanted  to  kill  him.  I  have 
often  begged  for  him,  and  have  borne  with  the 
little  rascal 's  insolence,  mischief  and  thieving  con 
stantly,  rather  than  tell  his  mistress  or  Mary.  He 
took  every  advantage  of  Gin's  and  my  weakness, 
or  leniency,  and  really  seemed  to  take  a  pleasure 
in  venting  the  wickedness  upon  us  which  he  was 
obliged  to  suppress  to  them.  Harriet  took  our 
money  on  the  same  principle.  Ever  since  this  last 
outbreak  of  Mary's  I  have  been  afraid  she  would 
run  away.  She  has  always  had  control  of  the 
supply  closet  until  now,  and  has  had  the  yard 
filled  with  her  chickens.  Her  mistress  made  her 
remove  them  a  few  days  ago.  These  things  have 
added  to  her  anger  and  have  made  returning  re 
pentance  impossible.  Mary  has  a  good  heart, 
though  she  will  not  bear  a  word  of  reproof.  I  told 
her  that  she  did  wrong  and  that  she  should  take 
into  consideration  the  fact  that  her  mistress  is  an 
old  woman,  and  has  had  much  trouble  lately.  She 
has  been  very  sullen  and  gloomy. 

Monday,  23d  [March].    I  was  very  unwell,  and 


258      JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

it  poured  down  rain  all  day — a  real  equinox.  Sat 
pretty  much  in  my  room,  hearing  Mrs.  Norton 
through  the  open  door  fretting  about  not  being 
able  to  go  out  and  make  some  visits,  and  talking 
about  the  negroes  and  the  Yankees  alternately.  I 
feel  all  the  time  as  if  she  feels  we  ought  to  be  with 
her  and  amuse  her.  I  so  often  nowadays  recall 
scenes  and  feelings  of  Frances  Burney  at  Court. 
Her  longing  to  go — her  useless  sacrifice  of  herself 
and  her  struggles  between  a  longing  for  a  more 
congenial  society  and  a  fancied  gratitude.  Eead 
a  little  and  wrote  a  little  and  sighed  a  great  deal 
today.  Went  to  bed,  but  as  it  was  storming  still 
and  Mrs.  Norton  did  not  feel  sleepy,  she  talked  to 
us  in  bed  and  made  every  possible  noise  and  in 
quiry  so  as  to  keep  us  awake.  We  were  both  so 
exhausted  by  a  previous  sleeplessness  and  sick 
ness  that  I  could  not  show  much  agreeability  in 
my  tone  of  voice.  I  am  quite  ready  for  any  de 
mand  upon  my  friendship  and  will  go  to  the  death 
for  those  I  love,  but  I  resent  being  made  use  of. 
Mrs.  Norton  is  sensitive  to  the  slightest  change 
in  tone  from  another,  and  resents  it  as  a  wrong 
done  her,  though  she  does  not  yield  her  own  pre 
rogative  in  saying  whatever  she  pleases.  Indeed, 
I  have  a  very  kind  feeling  for  her,  and  I  pity  her 
age  and  infirmities.  I  only  feel  more  fully  than 
ever  that  people  who  have  nothing  in  common 
should  never,  under  any  circumstances,  live 
together. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     259 

Tuesday  broke  beautifully  clear ;  soon  clouded ; 
poured  down  again,  and  even  hailed.  I  had  ter 
rible  headache  and  aching  of  limbs  all  night — 
could  not  get  up  to  breakfast.  Ginnie  brought  me 
some  tea,  and  seemed  so  concerned  about  me,  and 
indeed,  looked  so  very  badly  herself,  that  I  got  up 
and  dressed.  I  went  out  on  the  balcony  and  helped 
pick  up  the  unusual  hailstones,  though  stooping 
was  hard  work  indeed.  I  had  to  lie  down  again 
and  did  not  go  out  to  see  Mr.  Randolph,  though  he 
sat  the  morning  with  Ginnie  and  Mrs.  Norton.  He 
comes  often  to  see  if  he  can  aid  us  in  any  way — 
and  he  would  do  anything  for  us — unconditionally, 
too.  Within  the  last  week  he  has  had  another  child 
born  to  him.  He  regrets  that  it  is  not  a  boy.  He 
was  so  anxious  to  call  it  " Rebel"  Randolph.  He 
could  call  his  girl  "  Rebellion "  or  "Rebellia,"  he 
says,  but  cannot  bear  anything  that  seems  to 
make  a  girl  or  woman  conspicuous.  I  like  this 
sentiment;  it  accords  with  his  usual  ones;  he  is 
really  brave  and  manly,  and  in  everything  shows 
tenderness  to  women  and  unfortunates.  Ginnie 's 
eyes  have  been  very  much  inflamed  of  late,  and 
she  has  been  wearing  green  glasses.  I  told  an  ac 
quaintance  that  they  were  as  red  as  blood,  mean 
ing  the  lids,  and  the  report,  wonderfully  exagger 
ated,  reached  our  friends  at  Greenville,  and 
brought  them  to  see  us.  Mr.  Randolph  saj^s  there 
was  much  sympathy  and  excitement  out  there  as 
they  heard  Ginnie 's  eyes  were  running  blood,  and 


260      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

that  she  had  lost  them  entirely.  So  much  for  re 
port.  Thousands  of  rumors  fill  the  city.  The 
newspapers  are  a  dead  waste;  they  tell  nothing. 
I  know  from  a  gentleman  who  really  does  know, 
that  Banks,  before  he  left,  said,  that  if  any  pub 
lisher  interfered  with  his  actions  or  proceedings, 
he  would  "see  to  it."  Brashear  City  has  been 
taken  by  the  Confederates,  and  Banks,  upon  his 
return  from  Baton  Rouge,  hurried  up  to  that  re 
gion,  taking  the  vessels  which  remained  here. 
They  have  seized  all  the  cars.  There  seems  to  be 
a  great  excitement  and  expectation  among  our 
people.  We  know  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth,  and  lie  down  at  night  not  knowing  what  may 
happen  before  morning.  Reuben,  Mary's  hus 
band,  has  had  a  cart  here  and  has  removed  all 
Mary 's  things  and  his  own.  I  want  to  go  out  and 
talk  to  Mary — to  beg  her  not  to  go  away — but  Mrs. 
Norton  does  not  like  to  have  us  talk  with  her  serv 
ants,  and  I  do  not  know  as  I  ought  to  listen  to  all 
that  she  would  say  about  her  mistress.  I  have  beg 
ged  Jane  to  talk  to  her,  for  I  know  that  Mary  is 
acting  from  the  promptings  of  temper  and  that  she 
will  be  sorry  for  it  afterward.  I  begged  Jane  to  do 
her  duty,  and  that  she  would  be  rewarded  for  it 
after  this  time  of  desolation  is  over.  That  Jane 
goes  out  at  night  without  her  mistress '  knowledge, 
I  am  positive,  but  I  think  she  is  lonely  and  un 
happy  here.  Farragut  reported  to  be  positively 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      261 

a  prisoner ;  the  Hartford  positively  taken,  and  so 
is  also  the  Albatross;  and  Stonewall  is  positively 
outside,  and  the  Confederates  positively  about  to 
attack.  I  feel  a  little  nervous  thrill,  but  it  soon 
dies  out. 

Wednesday,  25th  [March] .  Did  not  sleep  again 
last  night,  and  only  dozed  near  morning.  Dreamed 
quantities — of  being  at  Shepley's  house  and  re 
fusing  to  eat  at  his  table ;  saw  thousands  of  people, 
all  under  unpleasant  circumstances;  wrote  a  sav 
age  letter  to  Mayor  Miller,  and  made  myself  con 
spicuous  generally.  Heard  Mrs.  Norton  talking 
early  to  Jane ;  called  her  in  and  asked  the  question 
which  had  been  lying  on  my  mind,  "Has  Mary 
gone?"  "No,  Miss."  Greatly  relieved,  I  turned 
over  to  get  a  nap,  for  I  felt  weak,  nervous  and 
sleepy.  Presently  I  heard  Jane  say,  "Aunt  Mary 
has  gone  and  taken  Jake."  No  more  sleep — got 
up  and  dressed;  I  felt  desolate  and  oppressed 
and  it  was  quite  cold.  I  felt  quite  as  sorry  as  I 
did  when  Julie  Ann  left  us.  Mrs.  Norton  is  quite 
cut  up,  though  she  says  that  she  knew  that  Mary 
was  going.  Her  first  words  were,  "Now  you 
know  whether  I  know  nothing  or  not,  don't  you?" 
This  was  a  cut  at  us  for  having  taken  Mary's  part. 
Indeed,  I  know  all — that  the  woman  would  not 
have  left  but  for  her  having  taken  too  much  liquor, 
and  in  that  state  passed  the  boundary  too  far  for 
return.  She  took  Jake  along.  We  have  both  ad- 


262      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

vised  Mrs.  Norton  to  move  to  her  daughter's,  Mrs. 
Dameron's,  and  we  would  go  to  Mr.  Randolph's. 
We  could  board  with  them.  After  much  entreaty, 
he  would  board  us  instead  of  receiving  us  as  vis 
itors.  She  was  angry  at  the  mere  mentioning  of 
such  a  thing — said  that  nothing  could  make  her 
live  in  a  house  full  of  children,  and  moreover,  she 
says  that  if  she  goes  to  Mrs.  Dameron's  all  the 
servants  would  leave,  a*s  they  do  not  like  her.  This 
I  am  afraid  is  true,  as  Mrs.  Norton  sees  defects  in 
the  servant  world  very  keenly,  and  she  does  not 
keep  silence  afterward.  Mrs.  Dameron's  house- 
full  of  servants  have  been  too  long  indulged  to 
allow  of  any  interference,  especially  now  that  they 
can  go  to  the  Yankees  with  any  story  they  please. 
This  Yankee  soldier 's  wife  at  the  corner  keeps  the 
servants  of  this  neighborhood  miserable.  Hers 
are  as  well  clad  as  she  is,  and  have  quite  as  much 
time  to  themselves,  but  they  look  sour  and  anxious. 
Those  who  are  innocently  inclined  and  are  really 
attached  to  their  mistresses  are  reproached  by 
others  and  these  low  Yankees.  I  feel  very  sorry 
for  Mrs.  Norton.  She  did  not  believe  that  Mary 
would  leave  her,  though  she  said  so  often.  I  think 
that  Mary  Jane,  who  is  deceitful,  I  think,  had 
much  to  do  with  Mary's  conduct.  How  long  her 
ladyship  may  remain,  no  one  knows.  This  flitting 
has  caused  quite  a  commotion  in  this  household, 
and,  indeed,  I  must  say  that  I  can  never  get  over 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      263 

my  sorrowful  feeling  for  a  blow  of  this  sort.  I 
had  expected  better  things  of  Mary.  She  had  al 
ways  talked  of  being  fond  of  her  mistress '  family, 
and  letters  were  read  to  her  only  a  few  days  ago 
from  every  member  of  it,  in  which  she  was  spoken 
of  with  much  attachment.  Charley  and  Mrs. 
Brown  both  spoke  of  what  they  intended  to  do  to 
reward  her  for  her  faithfulness. 

The  Yankees  have  undermined  every  good 
feeling  which  at  one  time  existed  between 
these  poor  people  and  their  owners.  I  am 
almost  afraid  to  see  the  Confederates,  though 
I  long  for  their  coming.  So  many  people 
have  been  betrayed  by  pet  servants.  Strange 
that  some  of  the  most  severe  mistresses 
and  masters  have  kept  their  servants  through  all 
this  trying  year.  Mrs.  Roselius  came  over  as 
soon  as  she  heard  of  Mary's  flight,  and  proposed 
to  send  over  a  girl  of  her  sister's  who  had  been 
left  with  her  while  her  sister  was  in  Europe.  She 
is  an  ugly,  half -dazed  looking  creature — innocent, 
though,  I  think.  She  came  in  evidently  much 
frightened,  having  been  told  alarming  tales  by 
Mrs.  Roselius 's  other  servants.  She  seemed  to  re 
vive  after  having  been  spoken  to  kindly.  Her 
name  is  Kitty ;  I  like  the  poor  thing,  somehow.  I 
do  not  expect  her  to  be  honest,  though,  and  will  try 
to  remember  to  lock  up.  I  laid  $1.50  on  the  bureau 
one  morning  and  it  disappeared  in  a  very  short 


264      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

time.  This  locking  up  and  watching  is  perfectly 
hateful  to  me.  But  what  can  one  do?  One  is 
obliged  to  be  honest  oneself  and  to  pay  one's  debts. 
But  negroes  have  no  mercy  and  will  take  one 's  last 
cent  if  you  keep  it  unlocked.  I  would  hate  them  if 
I  considered  them  responsible  and  developed  be 
ings.  They  are  not  quite  men  and  women  yet.  I 
think  the  Yankees  must  be  of  the  same  mind,  for 
they  are  catching  up  the  negroes  as  if  they  were 
animals,  to  put  them  on  the  Government  planta 
tions.  Judge  Ogden  and  Mrs.  Waugh  passed  the 
morning  with  us.  The  Judge  was  mysterious, 
and  evidently  smiles  all  over  him.  He  is  quite 
brilliant  with  some  secret  political  information. 
He  would  tell  nothing,  but  told  us  with  much  em 
phasis  to  fear  nothing;  that  all  our  troubles  (po 
litical)  would  be  over  in  a  week  or  two.  He  was 
in  the  depths  of  gloom  not  long  ago.  He  does  not 
know  that  Mary  has  told  us  about  the  spy.  I  sup 
pose  that  this  spy  story,  at  least,  must  be  true,  be 
cause  the  Ogdens  have  heard  from  Billy  that  his 
captain  (Tucker)  has  been  on  detached  service  for 
some  time,  and  that  he  (Billy)  being  first  lieuten 
ant,  is  acting  in  his  place.  Judge  Ogden  saw 
Captain  Tucker  in  Virginia  on  service — knows 
that  he  has  been  sent  on  this  mission,  so  I  suppose 
there  can  be  no  deception  in  this  case.  He  told 
Judge  Ogden  that  he  had  been  sent  here  for  in 
formation  as  to  the  position  of  things  generally 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      265 

here.  He  says  that  Stonewall  Jackson  is  outside 
at  Camp  Moore,  and  that  this  city  is  to  be  attacked 
as  soon  as  the  Port  Hudson  affair  is  over.  When 
will  it  be  over?  we  constantly  ask  ourselves.  The 
varied  reports  one  hears  are  enough  to  confuse 
one's  intellect,  fraught,  as  they  are,  with  our 
dearest  interests.  All  conversation  now  is  a  med 
ley  of  what  this  spy  or  that  has  told,  or  what  some 
returned  prisoner  has  reported,  or  that  Colonel 
This  or  Lieutenant  That  or  Captain  So  and  So 
has  said.  We  have  heard  again  for  the  hundredth 
time  that  Weitzel  has  been  surrounded  and  cut  to 
pieces.  Brashear  is  now  reported  to  have  been 
captured  by  the  Confederates.  Provisions  and 
artillery  sent  in  that  direction  for  Weitzel  have 
been  brought  back.  Some  muddy,  soiled  and  tired 
cavalry  have  ridden  into  town. 

We  took  dinner  at  Mrs.  Dameron's.  Prac 
ticed  on  the  piano  a  good  deal — the  first  time 
for  months.  I  regret  that  I  have  so  neglected 
my  music,  but  have  had  no  heart  for  any 
thing.  Between  three  and  four  we  heard  can 
non  in  the  distance — listened  with  our  hearts 
for  some  time.  We  concluded  it  to  be  a 
general  clearing  out  of  guns  at  Camp  Parafet. 
Meant  to  take  a  walk,  but  calling  in  here  for  my 
gloves  found  so  much  company  that  I  could  not 
get  away.  We  sat  upon  the  gallery.  Mary  Waugh 
came;  sent  by  her  father  to  learn  what  we  knew 


266      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

of  a  Jackson  paper  of  the  20th,  said  to  be  in  town, 
and  of  which  Judge  Ogden  had  told  us.  These 
papers  are  contraband,  but  they  get  in  sometimes 
in  reality,  but  oftener  by  report.  We  often  hear 
of  wonderful  victories  of  ours,  said  to  be  detailed 
by  this  paper,  but  the  search  after  it  often  proves 
hopeless.  You  never  find  anyone  who  has  read 
it  with  his  own  eyes.  It  is  quite  a  common  ques 
tion,  "Did  you  see  it  yourself  ?"  Generally  some 
very  reliable  person  has  been  told  by  some  other 
reliable  person  who  would  not  deceive  anyone  in 
small  matters  or  great.  So  many  of  these  stories 
are  proved  false  by  time  that  the  "reliable"  man 
or  woman  has  fallen  into  bad  repute.  Three  ru 
mors  now  bring  any  tale  under  the  ban.  This  pa 
per  of  the  20th,  the  reliable  man  said,  confirmed 
the  capture  of  Farragut  and  the  Hartford.  Great 
rumors  of  the  cutting  to  pieces  of  Eosecrans  pre 
vail.  The  existence  and  non-existence  of  the  In- 
dianola  are  as  much  matters  of  discussion  now  as 
ever  the  lamented  Arkansas  gave  rise  to.  We  hear 
"reliable"  proofs  of  both.  I  am  somewhat  con 
fused  myself  by  opposite  statements,  but  some 
people  walk  with  sublime  faith  through  the  laby 
rinth.  Mrs.  Harrison,  whose  husband  is  confined 
here  so  long,  and  whom  she  is  still  allowed  to  visit, 
sat  on  the  gallery  with  us  and  told  us  many  things 
she  had  heard  the  day  before  from  the  Confeder 
ate  prisoners  who  had  been  brought  in.  Colonel 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND      267 

Frank  Gardiner's  Signal  Corps,  near  Port  Hud 
son,  were  captured ;  Captain  Youngblood  and  oth 
ers.  The  passing  of  Farragut,  at  Port  Hudson, 
and  the  crippling  and  the  return  of  the  other  ves 
sels,  and  the  burning  of  the  Mississippi  presented 
a  sublime  and  awful  spectacle.  It  all  took  place 
at  night,  and  the  roar  of  the  guns,  both  from  the 
ships  and  shore,  must  have  been  deafening  and 
terrible  to  hear.  The  crew  of  the  Mississippi 
were  all  captured  or  killed.  Many  a  wounded 
man  silently  lay  upon  the  decks  and  was  devoured 
by  the  flames  as  she  floated.  My  blood  seems  to 
curdle,  and  I  believe  my  heart  does  really  bleed. 
It  seems  strange  that  we  can  eat,  drink,  sleep  and 
array  ourselves  while  such  horrors  are  enacting 
daily.  This  evening  I  sat  on  the  gallery  and  lis 
tened  while  Mrs.  H told  prison  tales  and 

showed  Annie  Waugh  how  to  make  some  rose- 
trimming  that  she  had  seen  Ginnie  wear  and  espe 
cially  admired.  I  do  not  feel  like  a  trifler,  I  know. 
Thursday, 26th  [March].  Mrs. Dameron, Ginnie, 
Mrs.  White,  Mrs.  Waugh  and  myself  paid  a  visit 
to  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Burnside.  He  is  very 
rich  and  an  old  bachelor  and  ladies  are  often  asked 
to  view  his  gardens  and  pictures.  The  house  is 
built  and  furnished  after  the  European  fashion 
(on  a  small  scale), and  is  really  a  bijou  of  comfort 
inside,  though  homely  without.  The  pictures  dis 
appointed  me,  except  in  two  instances.  The  china- 


268      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

closet  had  nothing  old  in  it.  I  have  seen  a  far  more 
beautiful  collection  of  the  real  antique  in  my  dear 
mother's  closet  at  "Portland  Manor,"  before  we 

sold  out  in  Maryland.  Mr.  B made  his  money 

himself,  and  I  would  not  in  the  least  object  to 
being  as  rich  as  he.  Whether  new  blood  or  old, 
I  respect  blood,  but  three  generations  of  extreme 
poverty,  with  all  the  mean  cares  and  roughening 
labors  which  surely  accompanies  it,  changes  its 
promptings  as  well  as  its  color.  The  proud  noble, 
warded  off  from  every  detrimental  influence,  may 
imagine  himself  formed  by  high  heaven  of  the 
rarest  porcelain,  but  he  is  a  money  production 
after  all.  And  the  famous  blue  blood  is  but  a 
compound  of  the  best  of  food  and  influences,  re 
lieved  from  commonness.  I  am  observer  enough 
to  be  thus  far  a  materialist.  Came  home  from  the 
tour  tired  enough.  We  were  desired  to  leave  our 
names,  and  as  I  left  that  of  Mrs.  Dameron,  the 
sister-in-law  of  Mr.  Shepherd  Brown,  the  richest 
man  in  town,  and  in  whose  house  General  Shepley 
is  now  living,  I  felt  sure  of  being  recommended  by 
the  servants  at  least ;  they  were  vastly  polite  and 
attentive.  Mary  Ogden  and  Eose  Wilkinson  took 
dinner  with  us.  The  latter  hopes  to  get  out  of 
town  soon.  General  Sherman  has  promised  her 
mother  a  pass  and  a  passage  out.  This  officer  has 
been  very  kind  to  the  Wilkinsons.  When  Mrs.W — 
was  imprisoned  he  offered  to  do  her  shopping  for 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      269 

her.  Found  out  that  the  small  round  silk  capes 
that  we  women  folk  are  now  wearing  are  called 
"Beauregards."  Mrs.  White  says  that  that  story 
of  the  hero  which  depressed  me  so,  is  not  true. 
I  hope  not — yet,  he  is  a  Creole.  I  have  not  faith 
in  their  domestic  relations.  Doctor  Fenner  was  up 
to-day ;  he  is  clever,  but  I  do  not  fancy  him  some 
how.  Anything  outside  of  the  common  path  would 
disturb  and  shock  him.  He  is  well-bred  and 
amiable,  however.  Mr.  Dudley  was  up  with  him ; 
we  all  walked  over  to  Mrs.  Dameron's.  Ginnie 
and  I  then  paid  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Wells  and  Mrs. 
Montgomery.  They  were  very  glad  to  see  us. 

Mrs.  M is  not  long  for  this  world,  I  think. 

The  Judge  looks  rosy  and  hale  as  an  Englishman. 
He  will  live  to  get  another  wife,  I  expect — this  is 
his  second — but  he  is  devotedly  attached  to  her. 
Heard  much  report.  Read  Jeff  Davis '  proclama 
tion  respecting  the  day  appointed  for  fasting  and 
prayer.  It  is  to  be  celebrated  to-morrow  in  the 
Cathedral  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  The 
Catholics  are  bolder  here  than  others;  'tis  said 
that  they  wish  to  provoke  the  Federals  to  attack 
them.  Even  Butler  could  never  awe  Father 
Mullen,  who,  when  summoned  to  his  presence, 
answered  him  boldly ;  when  being  accused  of  hav 
ing  refused  to  bury  a  Federal,  replied  fearlessly, 
"No,  sir,  I  would  bury  you  all  with  pleasure. " 
He  told  Butler  that  his  soul  was  his  own,  also 


270      JOUKNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

his  lips,  and  that  he  would  pray  for  the  Southern 
Confederacy,  and  whatsoever  he  pleased.  "Do 
you  know,"  said  Butler,  "that  I  can  send  you  to 
Fort  Jackson?"  "Do  you  know,"  returned 
Father  Mullen,  "that  I  can  send  your  soul  to 
hell?"  Butler  pronounced  Doctor  Stone  and 
Father  Mullen  the  boldest  and  bravest  menintown. 
The  first  he  sent  to  prison;  the  latter  he  never 
touched.  This  was  because  he  feared  to  excite 
the  indignation  of  his  Catholic  troops.  We  will 
go  to  the  Cathedral  if  the  weather  and  our  health 
permit.  Met  Mrs.  Miller,  a  sweet  woman,  re 
turning  from  a  visit  to  us  in  our  absence.  Found 
Mr.  Waugh,  Mrs.  Waugh  and  Annie  and  Mrs. 
Evans  when  we  reached  home.  The  burning  of 
the  Bio  Bio,  which  took  place  at  the  wharf  on 
Sunday,  was  much  discussed.  The  ladies  were 
discussing  whether  the  damaged  silks  would  not 
be  better  and  cheaper  to  wear  than  the  now  royal 
calico.  Cotton  seems  really  king  at  last.  We 
hear  daily  of  the  burning  of  this  valuable  ware 
by  the  Confederates  to  prevent  its  falling  into 
Federal  hands.  The  Yankee  Era  reports  the 
capture  of  three  schooners  laden  with  it  at  Man- 
chac;  also  the  taking  of  Pontchatoula  by  them. 
There  was  a  great  cannon  on  the  newspaper, 
though  no  fight  had  taken  place.  Our  Camp  was 
some  miles  from  Pontchatoula.  This  cannon  be 
longs  to  the  old  press  of  the  Delta,  which  was 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      271 

taken  from  its  editors  among  other  printing 
paraphernalia.  I  remarked  that  the  Yankees 
had  fired  this  cannon  with  more  effect  than  any 
other  since  the  war  commenced.  They  often  have 
it  stuck  in  for  a  fancied  victory.  Farragut  has 
been  heard  of.  He  is  not  captured,  the  Era  says, 
but  is  on  his  way  to  Vicksburg  for  coal.  Barges 
of  it  will  be  brought  to  him  through  the  famous 
canal.  What  can  our  boats  be  about  if  Farragut 
is  free  to  run  our  batteries? 

Friday,  27th  [March].  Did  not  feel  well 
enough  to  go  to  the  Cathedral.  The  celebration 
of  the  Confederate  Fast  is  contraband,  and  if 
held  in  any  other  church  but  the  Catholic  would 
be  broken  in  upon.  Mr.  Harrison,  Mr.  Roselius, 
Detty  Harrison  and  Mary  and  Mrs.  Jeaurenand 
took  up  our  whole  morning.  I  was  doing  up  col 
lars,  too,  and  they  quite  interfered  with  my  time. 
Kitty  brought  Ginnie  a  letter  from  her  young 
mistress  in  Europe,  to  read  for  her.  It  came  in 
a  letter  to  Mrs.  Roselius.  The  child  wrote  very 
affectionately,  and  begged  Kitty  to  think  of  her 
as  often  as  she  thought  of  Kitty.  She  has  some 
thing  very  pretty  for  her,  bought  with  her  own 
money,  and  her  mother  has  such  a  present  for 
Kitty  as  will  astonish  her  when  she  sees  it.  She 
wants  to  surprise  her,  and  won't  tell.  This  note 
had  a  great  effect  on  the  girl  and  made  her  dazed, 
blear  eyes  sparkle.  She  had  told  Mrs.  Norton 


272      JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

in  the  morning  that  she  intended  to  run  away, 
but  after  we  talked  to  her  and  begged  her  not  to 
listen  to  anything  which  bad  people  said  to  her, 
she  seemed  greatly  moved.  She  will  not  go  if 
Mrs.  Norton  does  not  frighten  her  to  death  by 
her  manner,  and  if  others  do  not  take  her  off. 
We  would  not  let  her  touch  our  bed-room  yester 
day  or  to-day,  but  she  seems  really  anxious  to  do 
little  things  for  us.  I  believe  I  could  manage 
Kitty  ~by  myself.  I  hardly  think  we  would  have 
lost  Julie  if  we  had  been  at  home,  though  she 
acted  badly,  I  admit.  Mrs.  Eoselius  here  again 
this  afternoon;  Mrs.  White,  Mrs.  Dameron  and 
all  sat  on  the  gallery.  I  did  not  go  out.  Mary 
Jane  makes  a  very  poor  business  of  cooking. 
Mrs.  Norton's  boast  that  she  could  do  better 
without  Mary  than  with  her  has  not  held  good. 
Mrs.  Norton  has  a  warrant  out  for  Mary  on  the 
plea  that  she  carried  off  Jake;  the  police  are 
after  her.  Mary  Jane  has  seen  her.  Mary  told 
her  that  she  had  been  to  Mayor  Miller's  office  and 
had  obtained  from  him  a  free  pass.  It  is  easy  to 
be  generous  with  the  property  of  other  people. 
He  and  his  master,  General  Shepley,  should  be 
content  to  live  free  in  Mrs.  Brown's  house  with 
out  further  injuring  her  aged  mother.  When 
these  people  took  possession  of  Mrs.  Brown's 
elegant  establishment  they  drove  Mrs.  Dameron 
out.  She  had  moved  to  her  sister's  during  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      273 

absence  of  her  husband  for  the  sake  of  her  com 
panionship;  but  Mr.  Brown  falling  under  the 
Federal  ban,  Mrs.  Brown  grew  alarmed  for  his 
safety;  his  health  was  feeble  and  he  could  not 
have  lived  through  a  short  imprisonment  even. 
He  is  kept  alive  by  the  easiest  and  most  comfort 
able  life. 

They  accordingly  fled  in  secret,  old  Phelps, 
who  is  really  the  best  of  the  Federals,  having 
good-naturedly  given  them  passes.  This  was 
in  Butler's  day;  if  they  had  been  caught, 
heaven  alone  knows  what  might  have  happened. 
Mrs.  Dameron  was  not  allowed  to  take  anything 
out  of  the  house.  She  waited  days  before  she 
could  even  get  her  baby's  crib  or  her  children's 
clothing.  Nothing  of  her  sister's  was  she  allowed 
to  touch.  Mrs.  Brown  had  already  shipped  off 
silver  and  other  valuables ;  they,  I  believe,  safely 
reached  the  Confederacy.  She  did  not  tell  any 
of  her  family  where  they  were  lest  old  Butler 
would  imprison  them,  as  he  did  others,  and  make 
them  tell  where  they  were.  Her  carpets  and  cur 
tains  she  shipped  to  New  York;  after  Shepley 
came  to  the  house  a  regular  search  was  made  for 
everything.  Mrs.  Brown's  servants  were  all  re 
tained — her  elegant  carriage  made  a  hack  of,  and 
her  common  one  also.  Her  servants  were  ques 
tioned  and  cross-questioned  about  linens  and 
other  things,  and  the  clerk  who  sent  off  the  car- 


274      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

pets  and  the  very  draymen  who  carried  them  to 
the  boat  were  threatened  with  ball  and  chain  un 
less  they  betrayed  where  everything  had  been 
taken.  They  recovered  everything  except  the 
silver,  and  are  living  finely  in  the  fine  house.  Mrs. 
Norton  had  been  told  by  Mrs.  Brown  that  she 
could  take  over  unto  herself  the  quantities  of 
provisions  of  all  kinds  left  in  the  storeroom ;  also 
a  great  deal  of  coal.  Mrs.  Dameron  was  sur 
prised  by  two  officers  jumping  over  the  railing 
one  day  whilst  she  was  at  dinner.  Frightened, 
she  ran  upstairs,  but  the  officers  questioning  her 
name  of  the  servants,  very  wittily  remarked  that 
she  better  damn  downstairs  pretty  quick.  From 
that  time  the  guard  never  left  the  house.  They 
were  insolent  and  searched  everything,  even  the 
basket  of  soiled  clothes. 

Mrs.  Dameron 's  friends  soon  filled  the  house 
and  Mrs.  Richardson,  who  has  interest  with 
the  Federals,  had  the  guard  removed  and 
a  more  courteous  couple  sent  in  their  place. 
"But  she  is  not  to  remove  even  a  tea 
spoon,  "  said  Colonel  French.  The  last  guard 
behaved  decently,  refusing  even  to  leave  the  gal 
lery  at  night;  so  Mrs.  Dameron  did  them  the 
honor  to  pour  out  their  coffee  herself  the  next 
morning.  She  left  the  house  and  its  belongings 
to  the  Federals  that  day.  Mrs.  Norton  asked 
General  Shepley  for  the  provisions;  he  said  he 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      275 

had  no  objections ;  she  sent  for  them,  and  had  her 
dray  returned  with  a  note  from  one  of  Shepley's 
staff  (Captain  Miller).  He  could  "not  think, " 
he  said,  "of  depriving  the  poor  servants  of  the 
provisions,  as  they  had  been  deserted  by  their 
owners  without  a  support  for  the  coming  win 
ter.  "  This  was  cool,  certainly,  after  having 
driven  Mrs.  Dameron  from  her  sister's  house 
and  preventing  the  servants  from  going  to  her. 
Captain  Miller,  with  his  own  hands,  opened  Mrs. 
Brown's  trunks;  he  told  Mrs.  Norton  himself  that 
he  was  on  the  search  for  linen.  The  carpets  were 
brought  back  from  New  York,  and  one  day  when 
Mrs.  Norton  called,  she  found  the  General,  or 
Governor,  as  he  calls  himself,  overseeing  the 
packing-box;  he  looked  a  little  abashed,  having 
that  much  grace  left,  and  remarked  that  if  he 
"had  not  gotten  hold  of  the  carpets  and  curtains, 
they  would  have  been  eaten  with  moth."  Heaven 
preserve  Lee  and  Stonewall  from  such  saving 
propensities!  Well,  this  same  Captain  Miller 
has  given  Mary  a  pass  independent  of  her  mis 
tress.  General  Banks  has  nestled  himself  in 
Mrs.  Harrison's  house.  She  also  is  a  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Norton.  The  editor  of  the  Yankee  Delta, 
now  the  Era,  has  carried  off  the  books  and  splen 
did  Magdalen  of  Mr.  Harrison's.  Mrs.  Dam 
eron  and  myself  went  over  the  house  the  day  the 
transition  was  going  on,  to-wit,  the  removal  of 


276      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

French's  staff  of  officers  and  the  editor  of  the 
Delta,  and  the  coming  in  of  General  Banks  and 
his  staff. 

LETTER  TO  GENERAL  BANKS. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  Jan.  14th,  1863. 

To  MAJOR  GEN'L  BANKS: 

SIR: — I  have  understood  that  articles  of  value 
have  been  taken  from  the  residence  of  my  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  J.  P.  Harrison,  since  the  military  seizure 
of  it. 

Some  days  before  you  entered  into  possession 
of  it,  I  took  the  liberty  of  addressing  you  a  note 
requesting  permission  to  go  through  the  house  to 
ascertain  from  a  personal  examination  whether, 
and  to  what  extent,  the  rumors  on  the  subject 
were  true.  Having  received  no  reply  to  this  note, 
I  concluded  to  call  on  you  in  person,  and  did  so 
at  the  residence  of  my  son-in-law,  but  you  seemed 
to  be  too  much  occupied  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say 
and  left  me  before  I  had  time  to  renew  my 
request. 

Believing  it  to  be  my  duty,  in  the  absence  of 
my  son-in-law,  to  bring  the  matter  to  your  atten 
tion,  I  now  take  the  liberty  of  saying,  that  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  articles  of  value  have  been 
taken  from  the  house  since  the  seizure,  and  be 
fore  your  occupancy  of  it,  to-wit: 
1st. — A  handsome  painting  purchased  in  Europe, 
and  known  in  the  family  as  "The  Mag 
dalen." 

2nd. — Lace  curtains  to  parlor  windows. 
3rd. — Some  large  marble  vases. 
4th. — Books  of  value. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      277 

5th.  —  The  wines  and  liquors  —  principally  in  bot 
tles;  there  was,  however,  a  quarter-cask 
of  Madeira,  purchased  at  $12.00  a  gallon, 
and  from  which  little  had  been  drawn  up 
to  the  time  of  seizure. 

I  also  have  reason  to  believe  that  one  or  two 
or  more  bedsteads  and  bedding  have  been  taken 
away. 

If  these  or  any  other  articles  be  missing,  you 
are  the  only  person  having  power  to  order  their 
return.  All  I  can  do  is  to  bring  the  matter  to 
your  attention,  and  desire  to  do  so,  and  hope  I 
have  done  so  respectfully. 

Yours  respectfully, 

A.  P.  NORTON. 

P.  S.  —  My  residence  fronts  on  the  Carrollton 
Railroad  —  5th  —  No.  655,  and  near  the  crossing  of 
Washington  Street.  Written  for  Mrs.  Norton, 
Jan.  14th,  1863.—  J.  E. 


Mr.  Harrison's  brother  has  had  some  inter 
views  with  General  Banks,  having  been  intro 
duced  by  a  mutual  friend  (civil  war  makes  strange 
connections).  He  found  Banks  a  cold,  selfish, 
disagreeable  fellow,  he  says.  Expected  police  to 
bring  news  of  Mary  and  the  children  to-night. 
Left  the  lamp  burning.  This  is  an  awful  life. 
We  try  to  persuade  Mrs.  Norton  to  be  quiet,  but 
she  is  restless  and  cannot. 

Saturday,  28th  [March].  Mr.  Randolph  here, 
and  we  all  talked  about  Farragut  and  the  Hart 
ford  for  about  two  hours.  He  will  have  it  that 


278      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

we  have  both.  Nowadays  there  seem  to  be  but 
two  classes  of  individuals,  those  that  believe 
everything  and  those  who  believe  nothing.  I  have 
fallen  into  a  state  of  general  infidelity.  My  head 
is  dazed  with  talk  and  rumors.  Mr.  Randolph 
has  his  spy  story.  A  Confederate  officer  is  in,  in 
Federal  uniform;  he  says  that  Farragut  never 
passed  all  the  batteries  at  Port  Hudson,  but  be 
ing  crippled  by  passing  the  first,  was  forced  to 
surrender.  He  was  then  sent  as  a  prisoner  to 
Jackson  and  thence  to  Richmond.  The  Hartford 
still  floating  the  Federal  stars  and  stripes,  then 
proceeded  on  her  way  to  Vicksburg,  and  as  we 
had  captured  the  signals,  she  lies  there  to  entice 
other  Federal  vessels  from  the  other  fleet  to  run 
the  Vicksburg  batteries  to  come  to  her  assistance ; 
should  they  do  so,  they  will  fall  into  our  hands,  as 
did  the  Queen  of  the  West  and  others.  The  officer 
says,  too,  that  the  Indianola  is  safe.  The  Feder 
als  here  say  that  she  sank  and  rose  no  more.  He 
says,  too,  that  the  Confederates  are  coming  soon 
to  the  defence  of  this  poor  city.  Mr.  Randolph 
believes  in  this  officer,  and  says  he  has  good  rea 
son  to  do  so.  We  told  him  of  our  general  infi 
delity  which,  for  our  better  spirit's  sake,  he  tried 
to  combat. 

The  Era  reports  Farragut  safe  at  the  mouth 
of  the  famous  canal,  waiting  for  coal  barges 
to  pass  down  to  him ;  it  gives  a  threatening  letter 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      279 

of  his  to  the  Mayor  of  Natchez,  said  threats  to  be 
carried  out  should  the  guerrillas  fire  on  him.  (The 
Era  distinguishes  these  irregulars  as  "Gorillas"). 
The  capture  of  this  famous  rear-admiral  is  a  great 
deal  to  us  Confederates.  He  is  a  brave  fellow, 
and  his  loss  would  give  our  enemies  quite  a  blow, 
and  the  more  of  that  stamp  they  lose  the  better. 
It  seems  a  silly  thing  to  me  that  he  should  place 
himself  in  such  a  dangerous  position — parted 
from  his  fleet  and  hemmed  in  by  batteries,  deadly 
in  their  effectiveness.  If  we  do  not  catch  him, 
we  should.  In  spite  of  the  bravado  and  inflation 
of  the  Era,  a  very  sensible  fear  of  the  Admiral's 
position  appears.  Banks  is  safe  here  in  the  city, 
and  all  his  military  show  towards  Port  Hudson 
has  come  to  naught.  He  says  that  he  has  done 
all  that  he  wished  to  do — which  was  to  march  in 
great  array  out  of  Baton  Rouge  and  then  make  a 
hasty  retreat  thereto  without  striking  a  blow  at 
our  strong  point.  The  Federals,  I  believe,  have 
changed  their  tactics;  finding  that  the  "gorilla" 
is  strong,  they  very  sublimely  sit  themselves  down 
until  he  starves  to  death.  It  is  amusing  to  hear 
how  dreadfully  we  need  everything  (from  their 
papers).  Our  people  are  suffering  from  the  want 
of  many  accustomed  luxuries,  but  the  blessings 
of  freedom  and  peace,  I  pray  God,  may  so  entice 
them  from  the  future  that  they  may  continue  to 
bear  a  bold  front  toward  a  ruthless  and  home- 


280      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

desolating  foe.  Mr.  Randolph  tells  us  that  if  the 
Confederates  do  not  come  in  for  fifty  days,  quite 
a  large  sum  of  money  will  be  saved  to  him;  but, 
said  he,  "I  would  rather  have  them  in  to-morrow, 
and  lose  it."  He  comes  of  the  blood  of  old  John 
Randolph;  if  he  had  taken  the  oath,  he  says,  his 
mother  and  his  brothers  in  the  army  would  have 
disowned  him.  When  the  oath-taking  was  going 
on  last  summer,  he  was  so  disheartened  by  the 
sight  that  he  came  up  from  town  one  day,  just  to 
be  cheered  by  the  sight  of  those  he  knew  would 
never  take  it.  He  brought  us  one  of  the  ballads 
which  flood  the  city.  It  represents  the  reception 
of  old  John  Brown  into  a  place  which  shall  be 
nameless  in  these  decorous  pages.  He  brought 
something  better,  however — Doctor  Palmer 's  letter 
to  Mr.  Perkins  on  the  subject  of  the  oath-taking 
in  this  city.  It  is  a  fine  thing,  this  letter,  but  7 
think,  much  too  severe,  and  would  have  come  with 
much  better  grace  from  one  who  had  remained 
here  and  suffered  the  various  influences  of  temp 
tation  which  surrounded  our  poor  people  here 
under  Butler's  brutal  reign. 

29th  [March].  A  vote  of  thanks  has  been 
passed  in  our  Confederate  Congress  to  all  those 
who  were  true  and  brave  enough  to  refuse  alle 
giance  to  the  United  States.  This  is  well;  I  feel 
glad  and  proud  and  a  thrill  passes  through  me, 
knowing  that  I  never,  for  one  instant,  faltered; 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      281 

neither  did  Ginnie.  We  were  both  begged,  too, 
and  considered  obstinate  and  romantic.  No  out 
sider  can  ever  realize  the  state  of  mind  to  which 
the  people  of  this  city  were  reduced  in  those  days. 
Our  ideas  of  Butler's  character  enabled  us  easily 
to  realize  in  full  force  any  evil  which  report  pro 
claimed  him  about  to  do.  Prison,  hard  labor; 
exile  we  feared ;  evils  of  all  sorts.  A  cotton  press 
was  fixed  up  by  the  authorities  for  some  purpose. 
Report  instantly  proclaimed  that  it  was  for 
"  Rebel  women  " — intended  to  put  them  to  work  at 
it.  So  also  with  a  large  stable  which  underwent 
some  repairs;  the  women  were  to  be  confined 
there  and  made  to  wash  and  cook  for  Yankee  sol 
diers.  We  tied  up  the  few  relics  which  we  thought 
to  conceal;  burned  many  a  dear  old  letter  and 
made  a  general  consignment  to  those  who  had 
taken  the  oath,  then  sat  down  patiently  to  wait 
our  fate. 

We  knew  that  Butler  had  vowed  to  humil 
iate  the  women  of  New  Orleans.  WTe  knew 
that  the  police  were  bribed  as  well  as  the  servants 
to  inform  on  every  member  of  every  household 
who  had  defied  him,  and  the  sufferings  of  Mrs. 
Phillips  and  Mrs.  Coan  in  solitary  confinement 
on  Ship  Island  enabled  us  to  realize  any  fate 
which  the  tyrant  might  choose  for  us.  Until  the 
coming  of  General  Banks  we  never  knew  what 
would  be  done  with  us  or  to  us.  How  can  an 


282      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

outsider  ever  know  what  a  temptation  it  was  to 
us  to  take  that  oath?  Many  women,  and  men,  too, 
took  it  in  tears.  Some  went  with  the  intention  of 
taking  it,  and  found  they  could  not.  Some  fainted 
and  some  went  crazy.  Upon  the  whole,  my  opin 
ion  of  the  earnestness  of  our  people  was  greatly 
strengthened  by  the  hateful  tests  which  Butler 
applied  to  their  character.  Mrs.  Norton  would 
go  to  town  every  day  while  the  oathing  was  going 
on,  and  return  each  day  with  new  reports.  "We 
will  be  alone,  girls,  I  do  believe, "  she  would  say; 
"everybody  is  taking  the  oath."  So  we  knew 
there  would  be  no  escape  for  us.  I  had  really  for 
gotten  that  Mrs.  Roselius  had  taken  it,  although 
she  had  used  so  many  arguments  to  make  us  do  so, 
and  to-day  sent  her  Doctor  Palmer's  letter  on  the 
oath-taking.  I  was  sorry  for  it  afterward.  She 
came  over  after  dinner  and  cried  as  bitterly  as  she 
did  the  day  she  took  it.  She  does  not  spare  her 
self.  "I  should  not  have  yielded  to  Mr.  Rose 
lius,"  she  does  not  scruple  to  say.  She  is  the 
warmest  of  Confederates  and  continues  to  talk 
like  one,  and  hates  the  Yankees  a  thousand  times 
worse  than  before.  Mr.  Roselius,  though  he  made 
her  take  the  oath,  continually  throws  up  the  recol 
lection  to  her.  I  despise  French  husbands!  He 
is  a  Federal,  too ! 

Mrs.    Norton    has    been    watching    constantly 
for  the  policeman  to  whom  she   entrusted  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      283 

warrant  for  Mary.  He  has  discovered  that 
Mary  is  with  Jake,  Emma  and  Reuben,  her 
husband.  Just  three  weeks  ago  she  ran  in  to 
her  mistress  for  protection  against  Reuben,  who 
had  threatened  to  kill  her.  Mrs.  Norton  went  to 
Mary's  to  get  Jake,  and  Reuben  slammed  the  door 
in  her  face — her  hand  barely  escaping.  Her  hand 
was  resting  on  the  side  of  the  jamb.  He  gave  her 
much  impudence,  too,  she  says;  so  did  Mary. 
The  policeman  came  to-night  late,  saying  that  he 
had  just  got  the  three  in  jail;  she  has  to  appear 
early  tomorrow  in  court  and  swear  that  Mary 
stole  Jake;  she  has  asked  me  to  go  with  her.  It 
makes  me  nervous  to  think  of  it.  We  have  all  ad 
vised  and  begged  her  not  to  meddle  with  her  ne 
groes  now,  knowing  that  the  Federals  will  protect 
them,  no  matter  what  Mrs.  Norton  can  say  or  do. 
Ginnie  saw  Reuben  in  this  part  of  town  to-day, 
pointing  out  this  house  to  negro  soldiers,  and 
Jane  saw  white  ones  stoop  and  look  at  the  name 
on  the  gate. 

Monday,  30th  [March].  Late  last  night  I  wrote 
a  note  to  Captain  Brittain  for  Mrs.  Norton,  ask 
ing  him  to  go  with  us  tomorrow  to  court.  I 
scarcely  had  a  wink  of  sleep,  and  felt  wretchedly 
in  more  ways  than  one  this  morning.  Mrs.  Nor 
ton  was  stirring  before  day.  I  might  have  slept 
then  if  I  could  have  been  quiet.  Captain  Brittain 
came  very  early,  saying  that  we  need  not  go  down 


284      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

to  the  court  so  soon.  Mrs.  Norton  said  she  had 
been  told  by  the  man  who  gave  her  the  warrant  to 
come  at  7  o'clock  A.  M.  The  policeman  then  came 
to  tell  Mrs.  Norton  to  appear  before  the  Federal 
Court  at  10  o'clock,  where  she  is  to  be  confronted 
with  Mary.  General  Shepley  had  Mary  and  the 
children  turned  out  of  jail  almost  as  soon  as 
placed  there,  although  put  in  by  virtue  of  a  search 
warrant.  General  Shepley  is  a  deceitful,  bad 
man,  not  so  bold  as  Butler,  but  just  as  coarse  and 
brutal.  I  feel  very  sorry  for  Mrs.  Norton;  she 
should  have  let  this  matter  alone,  but  I  will  stand 
by  her.  I  have  the  greatest  repugnance  to  going 
to  a  court  of  any  kind.  She  ought  not  to  take 
me — I  would  not  go  for  a  thousand  negroes  of  my 
own.  I  feel  nervous,  sick  and  wretched.  I  wish 
Mr.  Randolph  were  not  in  Greenville,  so  that  he 
could  help  us.  I  hate  notoriety — all  kinds  of  it, 
Federal  notoriety  the  worst.  This  scurrilous 
Era  may  give  a  line  to  me  tomorrow.  It  gave  the 
other  day  a  most  disgusting  article  about  a 
woman,  and  indeed,  is  constantly  filled  with  inso 
lence  to  our  sex.  They  hate  women  here  much 
more  than  men.  The  Era  says,  "The  women  of 
New  Orleans  screw  up  their  thin,  pale  lips  when 
they  [the  Federals]  pass  them,  turn  up  their  not 
very  handsome  noses  and  flash  their  handsome 
eyes — yes,  they  have  handsome  eyes,  which  they 
have  inherited  from  negro  ancestors. "  One  of  the 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      285 

officers  told  Supt.  McClean,  a  Confederate  pris 
oner,  that  he  might  wear  his  uniform,  but  that  the 

women  of  New  Orleans  were  such  d d  fools, 

that  the  mere  sight  of  it  might  create  an  excite 
ment.  Lieutenant  Andrews  was  very  angry  the 
other  day  because  so  many  ladies  rushed  to  see 
the  captured  Signal  Corps  and  took  them  little 
comforts.  No  one  goes  now  unless  they  can  be 
of  some  real  service.  I  have  never  been  near 
them. 

I  have  returned  all  safe,  but  tired  and  disgusted. 
This  is  my  first  visit  to  Canal  Street  for  a  long 
time.  I  hate  the  * '  Squares  and  Streets ' '  as  much 
as  did  ever  the  madman  in  "Maud,"  especially 
Canal  Street.  At  all  times  its  show  of  hard  bus 
iness  faces,  mingled  with  the  perplexed,  wearied 
and  sad  ones,  and  its  display  of  glittering  fash 
ionables  trailing  along,  tired  and  depressed  me. 
I  used  always  to  say  that  I  returned  from  a  shop 
ping  tour  on  Canal  Street  as  wearied  as  if  I  had 
journeyed  to  the  poles.  Now  I  am  sad,  despair 
ing,  weary,  angry  all  at  once.  It  makes  me  fu 
rious  to  meet  the  insolent  faces  of  the  Massachu 
setts  mob  which  has  been  sent  to  rule  over  us — 
despairing  to  think  that  they  dare  and  are  allowed 
to  represent  a  great  Republic ;  that  they  are  a  part 
of  humanity,  and  that  so  much  of  my  trust  in  it 
has  been  overthrown  by  them.  It  has  been  a  cold, 
rainy  day — such  a  one  as  always  lays  Mrs.  Nor- 


286      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

ton  up  sick.  She  would  take  no  advice ;  she  would 
go;  we  tried  to  persuade  her  that  she  could  do 
nothing  to  recover  Jake.  She  had  no  idea,  she 
says,  that  she  could  recover  Mary,  but  the  boy 
she  stole.  She  could  not  bear  to  let  her  servants 
triumph  over  her,  at  least  without  making  an  ef 
fort  to  prevent  them. 

Before  we  left  the  house  Ginnie  became  so 
uneasy  about  my  being  made  a  witness  in 
Peabody's  court,  that  she  obtained  a  promise 
from  her  that  she  would  not  go.  So,  accord 
ing  to  previous  agreement  with  Captain  Brit- 
tain,  she  went  to  the  Custom  House,  expecting 
to  meet  him.  Owing  to  some  misunderstanding, we 
did  not  find  him.  We  saw  Captain  Miller 's  carriage 
at  the  front  and  were  on  the  pavement  when  the 
file  of  soldiers  went  up  the  steps.  Captain  Miller, 
the  Mayor,  organizes  the  court  each  day,  and  these 
soldiers,  a  hateful-looking  set,  attend  on  it.  I 
was  dreadfully  afraid  Mrs.  Norton  would  go  up; 
she  was  anxious,  and  as  disagreeable  as  it  would 
have  been,  I  would  have  gone  with  her  had  I  had 
the  most  distant  idea  that  she  would  have  escaped 
insult,  and  more  than  all,  Era  notoriety — worse 
than  prison,  worse  than  battle  fire  and  pestilence, 
worse  than  Butler,  do  I  dread  the  Era — the  low, 
vulgar  tongue  of  the  Federal  Government  in  this 
city!  We  paced  up  and  down  before  that  deso 
late-looking  Custom  House,  listening  to  the  drum- 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      287 

beats  of  the  soldiers  drilling  upon  the  river  bank; 
also  to  some  few  cannon.  Dirty-looking  soldiers 
guarded  the  different  entrances,  and  vile-appear 
ing  negroes,  in  filthy  blue  clothes,  looked  from  the 
windows.  I  felt  quite  as  desolate  as  everything 
looked.  How  my  heart  ached  for  a  brother's 
strong  arm  on  which  to  lean,  or  for  that  dear  one, 
now  lost  to  me  forever.  Well,  we  did  not  go  up 
into  the  court-room.  I  escaped  that  shadow  of 
infamy.  After  traipseing  up  and  down  for  a  full 
hour,  and  submitting  to  the  gaze  for  that  length 
of  time  of  any  infamous  creature  that  chose  to 
look  at  us,  we  walked  up  to  the  City  Hall.  The 
creature  at  the  door  of  the  Mayor's  parlor  would 
not  let  us  in;  he  knew  Mrs.  Norton;  so  we  stood 
outside  with  the  negroes  and  other  applicants 
until  we  were  ready  to  drop.  After  awhile  a  ne 
gro  vacated  a  chair  and  I  boldly  seized  it  for  Mrs. 
Norton.  She  was  cold  and  tired  and  looked  so 
woe-begone  that  I  pitied  her,  though  I  could  not 
understand  why  she  should  wish  to  submit  her 
self  to  all  this  degradation.  Seeing  the  police 
man  whom  she  had  engaged  to  put  Mary  in  jail 
come  out  of  the  Mayor's  parlor,  she  went  into  the 
hall  to  speak  to  him,  and  he  told  her  that  Mary 
was  then  in  the  Mayor's  parlor  and  that  he  had 
been  telegraphed  for.  What  had  taken  place  he 
could  not  tell  her  there,  but  would  come  to  see 
her  and  tell. 


288      JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

We  went  into  the  Mayor 's  presence  and  his 
gentlemanship,  the  Mayor,  came  up  to  us  in 
stantly,  with  a  face  expressive  of  insolence  and 
anger.  I  had  never  seen  him  before,  but  from 
Mrs.  Norton's  account  of  him,  had  at  least  sup 
posed  him  to  be  good-natured.  She  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  saying  what  she  pleased  to  him. 
"Mrs.  Norton, "  said  he,  "I  have  a  very  serious 
charge  against  you. 9 '  "  What  have  I  done  ! ' '  said 
she,  terrified  at  his  manner.  "Bribed  a  police 
man/'  he  returned,  with  the  greatest  air  of  of 
fended  virtue.  Mrs.  Norton  had  unfortunately 
given  the  policeman  $10  that  very  morning.  She 
had  pressed  it  upon  him  from  a  true  feeling  of 
gratitude,  because  he  had  seemed  to  take  such  an 
interest  in  her  affairs,  and  had  taken  so  much  ex 
tra  trouble  for  her  and  had  left  her  without  telling 
her  where  she  could  find  him  again  and  without 
asking  any  payment.  She  had  called  him  back 
after  he  had  gone  out  of  the  gate,  and  unfortu 
nately  gave  him  the  $10.  "Bribing  a  policeman !" 
we  both  cried  in  a  breath;  for  the  matter  had 
never  struck  us  in  that  light.  i '  Yes, ' '  returned  he, 
"bribing  a  policeman."  "I  never  thought  of  such 
a  thing,"  said  Mrs.  Norton,  and  indeed,  she  had 
not.  "Oh,  don't  deny  it,"  said  Captain  Miller, 
with  the  most  insufferable  appearance;  "I  have 
the  very  $10  note  here  now  to  prove  it  on  you." 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      289 

"Do  not  bring  it,"  said  Mrs.  Norton,  "I  gave  it  to 
him. "  "  There  must  be  some  difference  between  a 
bribe  and  a  reward, ' '  said  I,  angrily ;  1 1  this  was  a 
reward. "  ' '  He  understood  from  the  first  he  would 
be  rewarded,"  he  returned  insolently,  "and  there 
has  been  any  quantity  of  this  sort  of  thing,  and 
it  must  be  stopped.  Now,  see  here,  Mrs.  Norton, ' ' 
he  continued,  "I'll  make  a  bargain  with  you — if 
you  don't  meddle  with  that  woman,  Mary,  of 
yours,  I'll  drop  this  matter,  but  so  sure  as  you  do, 
I'll  have  you  before  the  Provost  Court  for  having 
bribed  a  policeman."  All  this  was  said  while  he 
shook  his  hand  almost  in  Mrs.  Norton's  face.  He 
was  a  young  man,  and  I  considered  it  mean  and 
vulgar  to  speak  in  this  way  to  an  old  feeble  wo 
man,  especially,  too,  as  he  lived  in  her  daughter's 
house  free  of  rent — after  having  driven  her 
daughter  out  of  it  and  made  use  of  every  article 
of  provisions  or  clothing  left  behind,  besides  keep 
ing  all  the  servants  and  carriages.  She  had  been 
prejudged ;  her  side  of  the  tale  was  not  even  heard 
— all  of  her  servants  were  in  Federal  employ,  and 
this  last  woman  had  not  only  stolen  her  little 
house  boy,  but  other  things.  I  was  indignant,  and 
but  for  the  dread  of  that  disgusting  Era,  would 
have  spoken  freely  enough.  i '  In  the  first  place, ' ' 
he  went  on,  "you  imposed  upon  the  man  who  gave 
you  the  search  warrant ;  if  he  had  known  that  you 
had  not  taken  the  oath,  he  would  not  have  given 


290      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

it  to  you."  "Is  there  no  justice?"  I  cried  out 
angrily;  "justice  is  but  justice  at  all  times." 
"Yes,"  said  he,  "justice  is  justice,  but  only  for 
some  people;  justice  is  for  the  loyal;  search  war 
rants  are  for  the  disloyal."  Then  turning  to 
Mrs.  Norton,  "Do  you  see  this  ten  dollars!  I  in 
tend  to  give  it  to  your  woman,  Mary. ' ' 

With  that  we  both  rose  from  our  seats  and  Cap 
tain  Miller  took  a  theatrical  position  in  the  middle 
of  the  room.  Said  Mrs.  Norton  as  she  swept  by : 
"I'll  not  take  that  oath — I'll  not  swear  to  a  lie." 
' '  Then, ' '  said  he  with  much  emphasis  and  gesture, 
"I  swear  by  my  sacred  word  and  honor,  you'll 
never  have  your  servant."  "There  is  no  honor 
in  your  courts,"  said  I,  stalking  out  as  boldly  as 
I  could,  all  the  time  fearing  that  he  would  grab 
me  by  the  arm ;  he  was  quite  angry  enough  to  have 
done  it.  When  I  got  out  I  wished  that  I  had  told 
him  that  if  he  considered  that  a  bribe,  and  if  brib 
ing  was  such  an  offence  against  the  government 
he  served,  he  had  no  right  to  drop  the  matter. 
He  had  bribed  Mrs.  Norton  that  she  should  not 
disturb  Mary.  Ginnie  says  I  should  have  told  him 
that  I  had  two  brothers  serving  in  the  army  in 
Texas  who  would  be  happy  to  meet  him  some  day. 
Every  one  had  something  to  suggest,  and  of  course 
every  one  could  have  arranged  the  interview  in 
better  style  than  we  did.  7  was  quite  satisfied 
with  my  display  of  courage,  for,  from  the  manner 
in  which  Captain  Chivalry  turned  toward  me,  I 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      291 

could  judge  that  I  had  shown  him  quite  a  defiant 
face,  as  well  as  having  put  my  few  remarks  in 
rather  a  high  key.  I  was  indeed  angry ;  so  angry 
that  I  almost  forgot  the  Era.  A  little  more  and 
Mrs.  Norton  and  myself  would  have  graced  the 
annals  of  a  police  court,  and  above  all,  an  aboli 
tion  Federal  court.  The  gallant  Miller  had  no 
idea  of  my  nerve.  Mrs.  Norton  has  never  been 
so  crushed  and  cowed  in  her  life.  To  my  aston 
ishment  she  was  silent  when  threatened ;  I,  whom 
she  thinks  lacking  in  spirit,  had  to  speak  up  in 
her  defence.  She  was  white  and  trembling  when 
we  came  out,  and  was  very  unwell  all  day  after 
ward.  I  was  very  sorry  for  her.  She  is  con 
vinced  now  that  it  is  of  no  use  to  try  and  get 
justice  from  the  Federals,  and  she  may  be  induced 
to  keep  away  from  them  now. 

We  paid  Mrs.  and  Miss  Callender  a  visit.  Miss 
Betty  looks  like  death — she  is  dying  with  consump 
tion — her  old  mother  will  then  be  childless.  I  felt 
sorry  to  see  her,  knowing  what  must  soon  happen. 
I  go  out  so  seldom  that  when  I  came  in  Miss  Betty 
clapped  her  hands  and  said  it  would  certainly  hail. 
I  laughed  and  returned  that  "It  was  quite  cold 
enough."  When  we  reached  home  we  had  our 
experience  to  give  to  every  one.  We  fought  our 
battles  over  again — at  least,  I  did,  for  Mrs.  Nor 
ton  invariably  turns  to  me  and  says,  "You  tell, 
for  I  can't;  I  cannot  forget  that  man's  looks." 


VI. 

MABCH  31— APBIL  8,  1863. 

Tuesday,  31st  [March],    Mary  Harrison,  Mr. 
Randolph,  Mrs.  Waugh  and  Mary  Ogden  passed 

nearly  the  whole  morning  with  us.     Mary  H 

stayed  to  dinner,  as  she  missed  the  car  for  Green 
ville.  Mr.  Randolph  was  angry  when  we  told  him 
the  Miller  case.  Said  I  should  have  sent  for  him. 
I  had  had  an  idea  of  beckoning  to  him  from  the 
gallery  as  he  passed  in  the  car,  but  I  thought  some 
thing  might  happen  in  that  horrid  court-room 
which  might  have  brought  trouble  on  him.  I 
know  he  would  never  have  allowed  Miller  to  have 
treated  us  so  without  resenting  it,  and  then  he 
certainly  would  have  gone  to  prison.  He  heard 
my  story  and  took  Captain  Miller's  name  down. 
He  believes  the  Confederates  are  coming.  "Why 
do  you  do  that?"  said  Ginnie.  He  laughed  and 
said,  "I  shall  have  a  lock  of  his  hair  s»ome  day," 
meaning  that  he  intended  to  have  his  scalp.  He 
has  been  so  much  in  wild  countries  that  he  often 
talks  in  this  Indian  fashion.  This  was  jest;  but 
he  declares  that  Miller  shall  apologize  to  Mrs. 
Norton  on  his  knees.  He  says  I  must  never  go 
any  more  to  such  a  place  without  calling  on  him. 
Mary  Ogden  has  lately  played  a  favorite  caper  of 

293 


294     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

hers,  which  is  representing  some  character  of  her 
fancy  and  deceiving  her  acquaintances.  She  has 
a  perfect  passion  for  this  sort  of  thing,  and  does 
it  remarkably  well.  She  played  rather  too  seri 
ous  a  game  a  few  days  ago.  Mr.  Randolph  and 
some  other  gentlemen  were  at  Judge  Ogden  's,  and 
Mary  thought  it  proper  to  disguise  herself  as  a 
lady  just  got  in  from  Natchez.  Of  course,  she  was 
brimful  of  good  Confederate  items,  and  her  ac 
counts  were  so  very  brilliant  that  one  gentleman, 
quite  excited,  cried  out,  '  *  I  knew  it — I  told  you  so, 
Judge ;  you  can 't  doubt  now,  Judge,  with  this  lady 
just  in  from  the  outside. "  This,  for  these  anx 
ious  days,  when  men's  minds  are  drawn  out  to 
their  finest  tension  and  their  hearts  are  longing 
for  some  precious  tidings  for  a  still  doubtful 
cause,  was  rather  too  serious  a  game  to  play. 
Mary  has  a  genius  for  this  sort  of  acting,  and 
can't  help  it.  Mr.  Randolph  was  giving  us  some 
of  this  Natchez  lady's  glad  tidings,  and  we  did 
not  like  the  glances  which  he  and  Miss  Mary  ex 
changed.  "If  you  doubt  me,  ladies,"  said  he,  "I 
can  bring  the  very  lady  to  you."  "Oh,  yes,  go 

and  get  her,"  Mary  H and  some  of  the  rest  of 

us  cried.  Whereupon  Mr.  Randolph  rose  and 
took  the  Natchez  lady  by  the  hand  and  stood  her 
up  before  the  company.  Mary  Harrison  and 
Mary  Ogden  spoke  to  each  other  again  in  quite 
a  friendly  manner.  They  do  not  visit  yet. 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND     295 

A  boy  cried  out, ' l  Extra, ' '  and  immediately  there 
was  a  sensation.  It  proved  much  better  than  most 
of  the  cheats  we  have  had  lately.  Quite  a  brilliant 
affair  at  Vicksburg.  We  drove  back  two  gunboats 
and  sunk  two ;  one  passed — the  Benton — said  to 
be  so  much  damaged  that  the  Albatross  sailed  up 
to  her  assistance.  The  Albatross  and  the  Hart 
ford  said  to  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal,  though 
Mr.  Randolph  insists  that  they  both  are  ours,  and 
that  they  only  fly  the  Federal  flag  to  attract  others 
to  run  the  gauntlet.  If  that  were  true,  we  would 
not  cripple  and  sink  them  so.  It  must  have  been 
an  awful  sight.  It  happened  in  daylight,  and 
quite  a  collection  of  men,  women  and  children  be 
held  the  sinking  vessel  and  cheered  as  she  went 
down  with  all  her  crew.  They  are  our  enemies; 
they  must  be  killed  or  conquered,  but,  my  God,  I 
do  not  think  I  could  have  found  voice  to  cheer  as 
she  sunk,  leaving  but  a  black  spot  behind  her !  My 
heart  would  have  stood  still  and  my  tongue,  too. 
Vicksburg  claims  the  title  of  "The  Gibraltar  of 
the  South. ' '  Went  out  with  Mary  Waugh  to  take 
a  walk;  came  back  and  found  a  room  full.  Mr. 
Waugh  says  that  Shepley  has  employed  three  or 
four  hundred  more  policemen  who  are  to  hear 
(accidentally)  conversations  on  the  cars  and  in 
the  streets.  This  sort  of  thing  suits  his  tastes 
and  instincts.  He  would  like  to  adjust  all  sorts 
of  cases  of  espionage  himself.  I  hear,  too  (from 


296      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

Federal  sources,  it  is  said),  that  next  week  all 
houses  are  to  be  searched  in  which  British  offi 
cers  have  been  entertained  and  the  United  States 
flag  stamped  on.  I  am  told  that  putting  foot  on 
the  United  States  flag  while  toasts  are  being  drunk 
to  the  Confederacy  is  often  part  of  the  ceremony 
on  such  occasions.  A  very  silly  performance,  I 
think ;  we  could  never  think  of  Lee  or  Jackson  at 
such  a  feast. 

Mrs.  Norton  once  proposed  to  have  some  of 
them  here,  but  we  did  not  wish  it  and  as  she 
would  have  made  us  the  excuse  for  more  com 
pany,  we  refused  to  give  her  opportunity.  Indeed, 
I  would  not  like  to  be  introduced  to  strangers  and 
foreigners  under  her  chaperonage.  She  is  so  very 
abrupt  and  peculiar.  Mrs.  Roselius,  our  most  in 
timate  neighbor,  was  very  anxious  to  entertain 
them,  and  she  has  so  much  taste,  tact  and  good 
breeding  that  she  could  have  made  a  pleasant  af 
fair  of  it;  but  her  husband  is  such  a  determined 
Federal  that  she  could  not  give  the  matter  a 
thought.  He,  like  all  the  Federals  now,  hates  the 
English.  The  French  and  Spanish  here  are  also 
our  friends,  and  I  hear  a  great  deal  of  their  vis 
iting  among  our  pretty  girls.  A  handsome  young 
Spaniard  from  one  of  the  ships  made  quite  a  sen 
sation  among  them.  I  have  no  heart  any  more; 
no  spirit  to  do  anything.  Anxiety,  sickness  and 
grief  have  sapped  the  last  remnant  of  merriment 
or  interest  in  me. 


MRS.  THEODORE  SHUTE 

Of   New   Orleans 


JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      297 

Wednesday,  April  1st  [1863].  Mary  Ogden 
here.  She  has  been  to  see  Mrs.  Tutt,  a  lady  who 
is  just  in.  Mary  Harrison  called  on  her  yester 
day,  and  we  had  quite  a  laugh  at  her  doleful  face 
when  she  returned  from  the  visit.  "I  have  called 
to  make  you  all  miserable, "  was  her  greeting  as 
she  entered.  Then  followed  a  volley  of  disap 
pointment.  Mrs.  Tutt  stood  sponsor  for  all. 
Stonewall  Jackson  is  not  outside;  he  is  in  Vir 
ginia.  The  Hartford  is  not  taken;  nor  the  Alba 
tross.  All  of  our  gunboats  are  injured  and  un 
dergoing  repairs.  We  have  lost  Pontchatoula. 
There  are  three  fine  gunboats  in  Mobile  harbor, 
but  only  intended  for  its  defence;  last  of  all,  the 
Confederates  are  not  even  thinking  of  taking  this 
place.  One  by  one  we  recovered  from  these  ex 
plosions.  We  began  to  take  Mrs.  Tutt's  char 
acter  into  consideration.  Indeed,  she  is  not  the 
sort  of  woman  we  could  even  expect  to  hear  good 
tidings.  She  has  no  imagination;  therefore, 
could  tell  nothing  in  its  true  light,  for  according 
to  a  theory  popular  with  romantic  people,  the 
real  truth  underlies  the  common  surface,  and  it 
is  only  by  realizing  what  we  feel  and  cannot  see 

that  we  reach  it.    Stonewall  J must  be  there 

in  spite  of  Mrs.  Tutt.  But  in  disguise,  as  we  had 
heard.  Mrs.  Tutt  is  as  truthful  as  the  sunlight, 
but  so  prosaic — who  would  expect  her  to  realize 
so  stupendous  a  romance  as  that,  and  as  for  the 
expected  attack  here — who  would,  for  a  moment, 


298      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

suppose  that  our  Generals  would  be  so  silly  as  to 
tell  their  plans  to  Mrs.  Tutt!  So  we  went  on 
laughing  very  much  and  sighing  a  great  deal  au 
dibly  now  and  then.  We  had  heard  that  Mrs. 
Tutt  had  taken  a  solemn  oath  to  the  Confederates 
not  to  reveal  one  single  thing  which  she  had  seen 
or  heard.  This  meant  a  great  deal,  we  thought; 
if  she  could  honestly  reveal  nothing,  what  might 
we  not  believe?  This  is  the  matter  which  Mary 
Ogden  went  to  settle.  One  member  of  her  family 
had  said  she  had  taken  that  very  solemn  oath; 
another  said  that  it  was  only  the  oath  to  the  Con 
federacy — taken  Yankee  fashion.  Mrs.  Wilkin 
son  says  that  such  an  oath  has  never  been  admin 
istered  in  the  Confederacy;  so  the  matter  must 
stand  as  we  heard  at  first.  They  did  not  appeal 
directly  to  Mrs.  Tutt,  for  she  is  in  deep  grief  on 
account  of  her  recently  lost  husband. 

However,  one  by  one  our  hopes  are  dying  out. 
Our  imprisonment  is  terrible.  It  does  not  seem  to 
have  the  same  effect  on  others  as  on  Ginnie  and 
me.  We  are  so  uncongenially  situated.  After  Mary 
Ogden  had  gone  home,  Lizzie  and  Jule,  who  had 
been  passing  the  day  in  town,  came  in.  The 
Mitchell  girls  were  with  them — all  bright,  rosy  and 
cheerful.  The  last  two,  however,  said  they  were 
very  low-spirited  at  home  now.  "Pa  has  gone  to 
his  plantation  and  cannot  get  back. ' '  They  ran  on 
cheerfully  enough  about  their  young  matters, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      299 

though.  One  of  them  raised  her  Beauregard  (a 
small  cape  worn  by  Confederate  women),  and 
showed  a  huge  button  which  she  avowed  to  have 
stolen  from  ' l  Somebody 's '  '  coat.  Ginnie  called  it 
a  Yankee  button,  but  she  made  great  haste  to 
show  her  Pelican.  They  know  all  the  Spanish 
officers,  and  like  them  "so  much."  We  saw  them 
to  the  cars  and  the  Ogdens  got  in.  Mrs.  Saunders 
and  Mr.  R.  's  little  Eva  were  within.  They  called 
to  us  to  come  soon  to  Greenville.  I  wish  we 
could  go  and  stay  awhile;  they  all  come  to  see  us 
so  often  and  beg  so  earnestly  for  our  return  visits. 

I  have  no  fancy  for  Mr.  S .    The  Yankee  Era 

to-day  acknowledeged  the  loss  of  another  gunboat, 
the  Diana,  in  the  Teche.  We  are  told,  too,  that 
Sibley  has  beaten  the  Yankees  well  in  the  Teche 
country. 

Weitzel  is  now  in  the  city.  The  Yankees, 
too,  have  admitted  that  our  men  fought  splen 
didly,  and  after  capturing  a  number  of  them 
treated  them  in  the  kindest  and  most  gallant  man 
ner.  I  do  love  this.  Mrs.  Roselius  and  ourselves 
were  talking  about  this  matter  to-day.  Mrs. 
Roselius  repeated  what  she  had  heard  from 
her  husband.  Weitzel  has  said  that  the  men 
of  Louisiana  are  as  brave  as  any  the  world 
contains — they  fought  them  splendidly,  and  after 
wards  treated  their  captives  nobly,  but  it  was 
astonishing  to  him  that  the  women  were  so 


300      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  L£  GRAND 


very  bitter,  so  uncompromising,  that  they  could 
not  give  an  enemy  a  civil  word.  I  said  I  was 
so  sorry  to  hear  this,  and  mentioned  what  Mr. 
Harrison,  who  has  been  a  prisoner  for  months 
in  the  Custom  House,  had  seen  there  of  the  rude 
ness  of  our  women  who  went  to  see  after  the 
prisoners.  Mrs.  Norton  burst  out  in  her  abrupt 
way,  '  '  Dear  knows,  they  treat  us  bad  enough  ;  for 
my  part,  I  don't  care  what  they  say  to  them,  the 
wretches.  "  I  remarked  that  it  was  at  least  for 
a  woman's  own  sake  that  she  avoid  notoriety. 
Any  notion  that  I  may  have  formed  of  chivalry, 
true  patriotism  and  courtesy  I  did  not  touch  upon. 
Many  women  here  insult  the  Federal  soldiers, 
who  will  not  sacrifice  their  love  of  finery  for  the 
sake  of  their  anxious  fathers  and  brothers.  I 
would  expect  little  true  patriotism  from  such. 
Went  to  see  Mrs.  Gilmour  and  her  daughter. 
Mrs.  G  -  is  a  sweet,  sweet  old  lady.  She,  too,  is 
going  to  Texas  on  a  visit  to  a  married  son  there. 
She  hopes  that  we  may  meet,  and  so  do  I.  She 
knows  a  lady  just  in  from  Port  Hudson.  We  have 
not  captured  the  Hartford  or  Farragut,  but  he  is 
yet  between  our  batteries.  The  Indianola  is  un 
der  repairs  at  Alexandria,  and  is  not  destroyed. 
The  Yankees  are  deserting  Baton  Rouge,  after  all 
their  military  display  there.  They  are  fortifying 
Donaldsonville,  they  say,  because  they  wish  to  cut 
us  off  from  supplies,  but  we  say  because  they  could 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      301 

not  remain  where  they  were;  their  men  were  de 
serting,  a  dozen,  sometimes  fifteen,  a  day,  and 
refused  to  fight  when  Banks  marched  out  with 
them.  Reports  of  our  having  four  vessels  in  the 
Gulf.  I  fear  our  hopes  are  vain,  and  we  are  not 
to  be  delivered  yet. 

Saturday,  April  4th  [1863].  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Montgomery  were  here  this  morning,  bringing 
reports  of  a  bloody  engagement  in  Yazoo.  The 
enemy  have  been  cut  off  from  return  after  passing 
up  some  of  the  small  rivers  of  that  region  in  their 
attempts  to  reach  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  Seven 
teen  transports,  with  men  and  supplies,  have  been 
captured  by  our  people.  This  news  is  certainly 
true,  the  Judge  says,  and  he  is  not  easily  deceived 
by  evidence,  and  never  lets  his  hopes  run  away 
with  his  judgment. 

April  7th.  I  have  been  quite  sick,  and  am  still 
too  weak  to  write  and  sew  much ;  so  depressed  in 
spirits  that  I  find  no  diversion  in  anything. 
Within  the  last  week  the  great  Yazoo  expedition 
has  been  abandoned ;  so  also  has  the  Port  Hudson 
one.  What  Banks  has  done  so  far  can  not  aid 
his  infamous  Government  much.  A  few  days  ago 
the  paroled  prisoners  in  town  received  a  notice 
to  appear  before  a  certain  person  at  a  given  hour, 
or  be  fetched  by  the  military.  They  obeyed  the 
order,  not  knowing  what  was  to  become  of  them, 
whereupon  they  were  locked  up  in  the  Custom 


302      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

House  and  sent  off  to  be  exchanged  secretly,  so 
that  no  crowd  could  collect  and  see  them  off.  They 
left  at  night,  and  spite  of  secret  movements,  some 
knew  of  them  and  would  at  least  appear  upon  the 
levee,  though  they  dared  make  no  demonstration 
in  favor  of  the  Confederate  cause.  One  gentle 
man  waved  his  hat  to  the  departing  boat  and  was 
immediately  arrested.  He  proved  to  be  a  Scotch 
man,  and  nothing  could  be  done  to  him.  Ladies 
are  constantly  arrested  for  the  color  of  the  roses 
they  wear  on  their  bosoms  and  bonnets.  Alas! 
for  handkerchiefs  bearing  the  Confederate  flag! 
One  of  the  paroled  prisoners  about  to  depart  was 
presented  with  two  roses  by  a. lady — one  red  and 
the  other  white ;  he  placed  them  in  his  button-hole, 
and  the  defiant  exhibition  caused  his  arrest  and 
return.  He  was  Lieutenant  Musselman,  and  he 
was  much  disappointed  at  not  being  able  to  go 
with  his  companions  beyond  the  lines.  A  flag  of 
truce  boat  arrived  here,  but  none  of  our  people 
were  allowed  to  put  foot  on  the  shore  or  to  receive 
their  friends  on  the  boat.  Mrs.  Shute,  who  has 
been  separated  from  her  son  for  two  years,  went 
down  to  the  levee  to  try  to  get  a  glimpse  of  him. 
She  was  denied  the  privilege  of  even  standing  on 
the  shore  and  even  getting  a  far-off  glance  at  him. 
She  went  to  each  authority  in  town,  begging  the 
privilege  of  seeing  him  but  for  a  moment  or  two  on 
board  the  boat,  but  was  refused. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      303 

There  has  never  been  such  great  and  small 
tyrannies  practised  in  the  world  before,  I 
verily  believe,  as  by  those  who  now  con 
duct  the  affairs  of  this  city.  A  lady  can 
not  give  a  party  in  her  own  home  without  she  re 
ceives  a  permit  from  some  such  creature  as  Cap 
tain  Miller,  or  has  her  company  broken  in  upon 
by  the  police.  Such  things  make  my  blood  boil, 
"Confederate  blood, "  the  Era  would  say.  Mrs. 
Wells  was  here  yesterday;  just  received  a  letter 
from  her  daughter  whom  she  sent  outside  the 
lines  months  ago.  The  officers  tell  her,  Mattie 
Wells  says,  that  everything  is  going  on  splendidly 
for  us,  and  that  our  troubles  will  be  over  in  May. 
Sarah  Wells  also  writes  that  they  all  look  cheer 
ful,  and  are  far  from  starvation.  Matty  Wells 
has  been  the  victim  of  a  physician's  blunder — he 
gave  her  poison,  fortunately  not  in  sufficient  quan 
tities  to  cause  death,  but  she  was  perfectly  blind 
for  days.  The  mother  is  almost  crazed  about  her 
two  girls.  She  is  here  alone,  her  husband's  prop 
erty  having  been  seized  here.  He  ran  the  block 
ade  and  went  to  Vera  Cruz.  Her  relations  at  the 
North  are  very ,% rich.  She  says  she  would  go  to 
them  but  fears  her  girls  would  not  be  happy  there. 
They  were  born  in  the  South,  though  they  have 
until  now  passed  much  time  in  the  North,  and 
loved  it.  The  horrors  of  this  civil  strife  are  too 
great  to  realize.  I  saw  a  day  or  two  ago  two  sad- 


304     JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

looking  women  on  the  street.  "This  is  fulfilling 
the  Scriptures, "  said  one;  "the  sons  are  fighting 
against  the  fathers,  and  the  fathers  against  the 
sons." 

Mrs.  Wilkinson  has  not  yet  gone  out,  hav 
ing  been  put  off  from  day  to  day  by  these  miser 
able  wretches  here.  Those  who  have  taken  the 
oath  and  are  favorable  to  the  Federal  cause,  can 
go  out.  The  officers  will  positively  deny  that 
there  is  a  schooner  or  any  other  opportunity  for 
removal,  when  they  know  just  as  positively  that 
people  of  their  own  stamp,  who  will  swear  to 
anything,  are  going  often.  The  Wilkinsons  have 
frequently  summoned  their  friends  for  last  good 
byes,  having  been  promised  immediate  transit, 
but  here  they  are  still.  The  Wilkinson  girls  hur 
ried  Mary  Ogden  and  Betty  Neely  in  from  Green 
ville  day  before  yesterday,  having  been  promised 
by  General  Sherman  that  they  should  go  out  the 
next  day ;  the  same  gentleman  told  Mrs.  Wells  the 
very  same  day  that  they  would  not  get  off  for  weeks. 
They  are  sitting  with  their  trunks  packed  and 
their  daily  interests  are  suspended,  having  been 
told  that  they  might  receive  but  an  hour's  notice 
to  depart.  They  treat  Mrs.  Wilkinson  this  way 
because  her  sons  are  in  the  army,  her  husband 
killed  at  Manassas,  and  because  she  will  not  take 
the  oath.  Mary  Ogden  was  here  yesterday,  look 
ing  very  badly  and  complaining.  Lizzie  and  Jule 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      305 

look  like  roses;  so  also  does  Betty  Neely.  Mrs. 
Dameron,  too,  looks  very  healthy  and  very  pretty. 
She  is  plump  and  clean-looking.  She  has  been 
parted  from  the  kindest  and  best  of  husbands  for 
a  whole  year  now.  What  a  blessed  thing  good 
nerves  are;  'tis  a  good  thing,  too,  to  lack  that 
realizing  sense  of  surrounding  evils  which  eats  out 
the  very  life  principle  when  it  once  takes  posses 
sion.  It  kills  Ginnie  and  myself;  we  dwell  on  our 
misfortunes  and  those  of  others  until  the  whole 
world  seems  Hope's  sepulcher. 

Doctor  Cartwright  once  said  to  Ginnie,  "Oh, 
what  a  joyous  little  creature  you  were  in 
tended  to  be  by  Nature — how  happy  you  might 
have  been."  The  old  Doctor  saw  that  no 
disease  but  that  of  the  mind  preyed  upon 
her.  He  tried  once  to  learn  of  me  what  it 
was  that  made  her  so  unhappy,  but  finding  that  I 
could  not  confide,  he  desisted  and  wound  up  by 
telling  me  that  we  must  go  about  more  and  be 
cheerful.  We  must  marry,  he  said;  but  learning 
that  it  was  quite  impossible  for  us  to  love  anyone, 
he  said  that  it  was  not  necessary  for  a  woman  to 
love  before  marriage,  so  that  a  man  did.  "  Every 
woman, "  said  he,  "will  love  the  man  who  is  kind 
to  her."  Heavens,  what  a  theory!  The  Doctor 
is  a  theorist,  I  know,  but  I  am  glad  that  he  has 
not  the  power  to  practice  upon  his  patients  after 
this  style.  He  was  horrified  when  I  told  him  that 


306      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

if  I  married  a  person  without  love  that  I  should 

hate  him  afterward  and  myself,  too.     Dr.  C 

realizes  more  fully  than  any  man  I  ever  knew  the 
word  "  philosopher, "  but  no  man  knows  how  to 
philosophize  about  a  woman — there  are  pages  in 
her  heart-history  which  the  wisest  of  them  can 
never  read. 

Many  friends  have  been  to  see  us.  Ginnie  looks 
so  tired  and  ill;  she  is  constantly  telling  me  that 
I  look  so;  indeed,  our  great  anxiety  about  each 
other  does  us  much  harm.  To  meet  her  sad,  pale 
face  in  the  mornings  is  sometimes  as  much  as  I 
can  bear.  We  two  have  grown  to  love  each  other 
very  tenderly.  People  laugh  and  say  that  they 
think  of  us  as  one  person.  Our  most  angry  words 
with  one  another  are  in  the  other's  behalf.  In 
deed,  I  am  often  worried  over  Ginnie  when  she 
refuses  to  eat  some  little  delicacy,  which  these 
hard  times  have  made  scarce,  because  I  won't  take 
it,  too.  It  is  very  common  for  us  to  say  to  each 
other,  "I  will  not  touch  one  mouthful  unless  you 
do,  too."  This  seems  a  silly  way  to  act,  and  sil 
lier  to  record,  but  even  in  small  matters  we  think 
the  most  of  the  other's  comfort  than  our  own;  to 
save  the  other  little  labors  more  than  repays  for 
taking  them  to  ourselves.  I  know  that  if  I  were  to 
die  Ginnie  could  not  be  comforted,  and  should  I 
lose  her,  I  am  finished  forever.  Were  there  no 
death  or  suffering  in  the  world  such  love  would  be 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      307 

a  source  of  infinite  sweetness,  but  as  it  is,  there  is 
fear  in  every  heart-throb. 

The  time  passes;  we  hear  no  word  from  those 
that  are  near  and  dear.  If  letters  have  been  sent, 
they  have  failed  to  reach  us  in  these  sad  times. 
My  sisters,  my  poor  maimed  brother,  can  it  be  that 
we  are  never,  never  to  meet  any  more?  It  seems 
so.  We  may  die  in  this  Yankee-beset  town  and 
have  no  kindred  to  close  our  eyes!  I  sometimes 
wonder  if  they  are  not  very  anxious  about  us ;  but 
they  know  that  we  have  friends  here,  and  may  not 
remember  us  as  we  remember  them.  Indeed,  I 
would  not  wish  them  to  know  how  we  suffer, 
knowing  that  they  can  not  reach  us  with  help. 
Whenever  I  have  been  able  to  send  off  a  few  lines 
to  them,  I  have  said  that  we  are  well  and  safe. 
God  forgive  the  untruth,  but  I  hope  some  of  my 
words  have  reached  them.  We  are  as  well  as 
sleepless  nights  and  headaches  from  anxiety  can 
leave  us,  and  we  have  some  friends,  and  many  who 
say  they  are  friends — one  whom  I  would  trust  as 
a  brother  and  one  to  whom  I  would  not  fear  to 
open  my  heart  as  to  a  sister.  I  shall  never  forget 
Mr.  Randolph  and  Mrs.  Waugh.  Simple-hearted, 
honest,  true  and  kind,  wiser  and  more  spirited 
than  those  who  pretend  to  more. 

April  8th  [1863].  Mrs.  Waugh  came  over  this 
morning  to  see  if  we  would  go  to  Greenville  with 
her.  I  did  not  feel  well,  but  made  the  attempt  to 


308      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

dress  myself;  I  was  still  in  doubt  when  she  left 
us  to  dress.  In  attempting  to  put  on  my  clothes 
I  was  so  weak  that  I  felt  f ainty,  and  so  determined 
to  delay.  I  wrote  her  a  note,  putting  off  till  some 
other  time.  I  had  not  finished  it  when  in  rushed 
Mary  Harrison,  almost  wild  with  joy.  In  these 
sad  times  a  little  joy  will  sometimes  leaven  the 
whole  lump.  Mary  has  just  received  two  letters 
from  her  aut  Ellen,  whose  husband  is  a  colonel 
in  our  army.  She  is  at  Franklin,  Louisiana,  a  few 
hours'  ride  on  the  car  from  this  place.  She  is 
there  with  Sibley's  army,  and  that  army  is  mostly 
composed  of  '  '  Texans. ' '  We  were  soon  almost  as 
excited  as  she — a  certain  wild  hope  of  getting  out 
there  and  under  the  protection  of  some  of  our 
people;  get  to  Texas,  or  at  least,  hear  of  our  sis 
ters  and  brothers.  A  Captain  Harley,  mentioned 
in  the  late  taking  of  Galveston,  is  a  friend  of  Mrs. 
Riley's  (Mary's  aunt).  He  is  also  a  friend  of 
Mr.  Randolph's,  and  is  the  very  redoubtable  hero 
to  whose  care  he  was  about  to  commend  us  when 
he  was  stationed  at  Galveston  before  its  first  fall, 
and  when  we  thought  we  had  some  chance  of 
reaching  it.  This  gentleman  (knight,  nowadays) 
his  two  friends  proclaim  to  be  the  ugliest  of  the 
ugly,  but  he  is  accomplished,  wise,  kind  and  brave, 
and,  like  all  brave  men,  ready  to  serve  a  woman 
(I  don't  say  "lady").  He  is  at  Franklin,  and 
what  is  more  than  probable,  Dick  and  James  Pye, 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      309 

who  were  also  in  Galveston's  defence  service,  arc 
there.  They,  my  brother-in-law's  brothers,  would 
be  friends  indeed ;  many  and  many  an  unthinking, 
joyous  day  have  we  spent  together  in  the  old  times 
past.  Never  then  did  they  or  we  think  of  the 
brass  buttons,  the  stripes,  the  shoulder-straps  and 
the  grey  cloth  which  now  represents  a  new  idea 
(Greybacks,  these  Federals  call  our  soldiers), 
when,  in  the  old  time,  before  our  two  families 
moved  South,  we  sat  on  the  banks  of  the  blue 
Potomac,  watching  the  white  sails  and  listening 
to  the  "Hail,  Columbia/'  of  the  steamers;  little 
did  we  think  that  the  dear  river  would  one  day 
shut  out  old  Maryland  from  our  country.  They 
are  Texans  now,  wearing  her  colors,  bearing  her 
lone  star  banner,  and  we  have  a  foothold  still  in 
this  desolated  Louisiana;  and  Maryland,  our 
mother,  is  torn  and  oppressed  by  Federal  soldiers, 
and  she,  for  her  undecided  course,  the  scorn,  the 
pity  of  the  world.  Oh,  is  it  not  best  to  die  early? 
I  was  almost  forgetting  Mary  Harrison  and  her 
letters.  Well,  her  aunt  wants  her,  and  indeed,  the 
whole  family,  to  come  to  her  immediately;  says 
she  is  splendidly  situated  with  the  army  and  can 
make  them  comfortable.  The  girls  are  crazy  to 
go  out,  but  all  depends  on  their  father  and  these 
Federals.  Ginnie  said  to  Mary,  "Yes,  you  can 
hear  from  your  friends,  but  we  hear  nothing. " 
With  one  of  her  impulses,  Mary  leaped  from  her 


310      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

chair,  and  throwing  her  arms  around  Ginnie,kissed 
her,  saying,  "Yes,  I  thought  of  you  as  soon  as  I 
got  my  letter;  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  tell  you 
of  it. ' '  She  then  fell  to  begging  us  to  go  out  with 
them  if  they  went,  promising  us  a  warm  welcome 
at  her  aunt's  and  a  splendid  time  until  we  could 
get  farther  on  our  journey.  I  have  met  Mrs. 
Eiley,  and  like  her  very  much.  She  has  seen 
much  of  the  world,  and  yet  preserves  her  kindli 
ness  ;  she  is  both  cultivated  and  agreeable.  I  have 
almost  a  hope  of  getting  out.  Oh,  what  a  joy  it 
would  be  to  be  under  the  roof  of  kindred  once 
more!  Sister,  the  children,  Claude  and  brother 
[Washington  LeGrand] ;  I  never  knew  how  much 
I  loved  them  until  now.  Mary 's  excited  talk  gave 
her  a  headache,  and  we  made  her  a  cup  of  tea,  and 
we  sat  and  had  a  long  chat.  But  for  Mrs.  Nor 
ton's  making  us  nervous,  saying  every  now  and 
then,  "Can't  listen  to  anything  I  have  to  say,"  we 
could  have  had  a  pleasant  time.  Presently  Mr. 
Randolph  came  in,  and  he  and  Mary  having  met 
here  so  often,  Ginnie  met  him  in  the  parlor  with, 
"Yes,  Miss  Harrison  is  here;  walk  in;  she  has 
been  here  for  some  time. ' '  Whereupon  he  blushed 
mightily.  Mary  made  Ginnie  introduce  her  to  him 
as  he  entered,  which  made  him  blush  again.  Mrs. 
Dameron  was  here,  too,  and  the  talk  was  too  mixed 
up  for  Mrs.  Norton  to  take  it  all  in,  and  while  Mr. 
Randolph  was  telling  her  something,  she  spoke 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      311 

sharply  to  Ginnie,  who  was  listening  to  Mary,  to 
' '  Stop  and  listen  to  somebody. ' '  ' i  I  am  listening 
to  somebody, "  returned  Ginnie,  bowing  to  Mary. 
This  was  high  satire,  and  when  I  remarked  that 
"Miss  Harrison  was  annihilated, ' '  and  Mary  said 
she  would  never  have  the  boldness  to  speak  again, 
and  Mr.  Randolph  had  stopped  in  the  middle  of 
his  speech  and  blushed,  she  became  confused,  and 
in  some  sort  made  apology.  "Well,"  she  said, 
"when  anybody  is  telling  anything  interesting,  I 
want  every  one  to  hush  and  hear  it."  Mr.  Ran 
dolph  was  trying  to  convince  her  that  we  had  Far- 
ragut,  and  as  we  had  heard  all  his  arguments  be 
fore,  and  as  we  were  sitting 

[Here  the  JOURNAL,  as  preserved,  abruptly  ends.] 


NOTES 


Page  37,  "S.  C.":— "Sallie"  Chilton,  daughter  of  John  Marshall 
and  Sarah  [Norton]  Chilton.  She  married  Major  John  Devereaux, 
C.S.A.,  and  died  early,  leaving  one  son,  Chilton  Devereaux.  Miss 
Chilton  was  one  of  the  noted  belles  and  beauties  of  the  sixties. 

P.  37,  "Lizzie  Ogden,"  "Billy"  Ogden:— The  "Ogden  girls,"  as 
they  are  called  in  the  JOURNAL,  Mary,  Julia  and  Eliza,  were 
daughters  of  Judge  A.  N.  Ogden.  Mary  and  Julia  died  several 
years  ago.  Miss  Eliza  Ogden  is  living  with  her  nephew,  the 
Rev.  Dunbar  H.  Ogden,  Atlanta,  Georgia,  son  of  William  F. 
Ogden,  the  "Billy"  Ogden  of  the  JOURNAL.  Miss  Eliza  Ogden 
writes,  June  2,  1910:  "The  Misses  LeGrand  were  dear  friends 
of  mine.  They  were  exceptionally  fine  women,  cultured,  refined 
and  aristocratic.  We  were  near  neighbors  in  Greenville  and 
spent  many  delightful  moments  together." 

Pp.  47  and  57,  "Doctor  Cartwright": — A  personal  friend  of 
President  Davis,  a  resident  of  Natchez,  Mississippi,  before  he 
removed  to  New  Orleans.  Mrs.  Alice  Gordon  Walworth,  of 
Natchez,  is  his  granddaughter. 

P.  62,  "The  Harrison  Family,"  "Mary  Harrison": — Mr.  James 
O.  Harrison,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
was  a  brother  of  the  gentleman  who  married  Miss  Norton.  Mr. 
Harrison  and  his  family  were  refugees  from  Kentucky  during 
the  war,  and  after  they  left  New  Orleans  came  to  Richmond,  the 
Confederate  Capital,  where  they  had  many  friends  who  were 
homeless  like  themselves.  Among  these  friends  were  Miss  Emily 
V.  Mason  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Catharine  A.  Rowland.  A  letter 
from  Miss  Mary  Harrison  to  Miss  Mason,  dated  from  Lexington, 
Ky.,  a  few  years  ago,  recalls  her  visits  to  these  ladies  at  Winder 
Hospital  where  they  were  nurses,  or  "Matrons,"  the  term  then 
in  use  for  the  positions  they  held: 

Camp  Winder  is  clearly  before  me.  I  can  see  Cousin  Kate  and 
hear  her  cheerful  greetings  to  the  sick  soldier  boys.  And  I 

313 


3J*  JOUENAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

recall  thfe  happy  evenings  I  spent  with  you,  happy  even  among 
such  surroundings.  I  can  hear  your  reproaches  in  tragic  tones 
because  I  said  at  dinner  one  day  I  could  not  eat  cold  carrots. 
"What,"  you  exclaimed,  "you  refuse  to  eat  what  our  soldiers 
would  be  glad  to  have  enough  of!  You  make  me  hopeless!  How 
can  the  Confederacy  succeed  if  this  is  the  spirit  of  her  women!" 
I  felt  awfully  guilty,  and  when  the  end  came  I  found  myself 
hoping  my  faltering  before  the  detested  carrots  had  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  failure  of  our  cause. 

Mr.  James  0.  Harrison  was  a  prisoner  in  New  Orleans  for 
many  months,  confined  in  the  Custom  House,  as  is  related  in  the 
JOURNAL. 

P.  73,  "Mr.  Wilkinson,"  "Katie"  Wilkinson;  p.  76,  "Miss 
Marcella  Wilkinson": — Mr.  Biddle  Wilkinson  was  the  son  of 
General  James  Wilkinson,  of  the  Revolution,  and  his  wife,  Anne 
Biddle.  He  married  Catharine  Andrews,  of  Williamsburg,  Vir 
ginia,  and  they  had  Dr.  Biddle  Wilkinson,  father  of  Theodore 
Wilkinson,  Senator  from  Louisiana,  and  Ernest  Wilkinson,  lawyer 
in  Washington,  D.  C.  (1910);  Robert  Andrews  Wilkinson, 
father  of  Mrs.  Toby,  of  New  Orleans;  a  daughter  who  married 
Col.  Clement  Penrose,  and  two  other  daughters,  Marcella  and 
Julia  Wilkinson.  The  latter  married  Dr.  Frederic  Egan  and 
was  a  widow  at  the  time  of  her  death  in  1909.  The  Wilkinsons 
had  owned  a  beautiful  sugar  plantation  at  "Point  Celeste,"  Parish 
of  Plaquemines,  Louisiana,  and  here  they  were  living  in,  1834, 
1835  and  1848,  as  mentioned  in  contemporary  letters  of  the 
Mason  family,  Catharine  Andrews  having  been  a  girl  friend  of 
Mrs.  John  Thomson  Mason,  of  Williamsburg,  mother  of  Miss 
Emily  V.  Mason.  The  latter  visited  Point  Celeste  in  1835  and 
1848,  and  has  left  on  record  charming  descriptions  of  Louisiana 
plantation  life  as  seen  in  this  interesting  family. 

P.  78,  ''Miss  Emanuel's  wedding": — This  lady,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Wheeler,  now  a  widow,  is  living  (1909)  at  Roslyn,  near  Balti 
more.  The  following  are  extracts  from  her  letters  to  Mrs.  M.  L. 
Croxall: 

Many  thanks  for  your  kindness  in  sending  me  the  JOURNAL, 
which  I  have  read  with  great  interest;  it  has  thrilled  me,  coming 
like  a  deep-toned  echo  from  that  dark,  and,  to  me,  misty  haze, 
of  the  long  ago.  Name  after  name  recalls  the  friends  of  a 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      315 


period,  well  nigh  faded  from  memory,  a  period  so  painful  in 
retrospect.  Of  the  names  you  mention,  one  especially  sends  a 
thrill  through  me,  Sarah  Chilton,  my  most  beloved  schoolmate, 
friend  of  my  girlhood  and  young  married  life.  Her  father,  John 
M.  Chilton,  a  lawyer  of  great  repute,  was  the  law  partner  of 
S.  S.  Prentis,  the  famous  orator  and  lawyer.  He  and  my  father 
were  like  brothers.  General  Chilton,  of  Lee's  staff  [brother  of 
John  M.  Chilton]  was  a  dear  friend  of  my  father's  also.  [General 
R.  H.  Chilton  married  Laura  Mason,  sister  of  Miss  Emily  V. 
Mason,  and  Mrs.  C.  A.  Rowland.]  As  someone  aptly  writes, 
"I'd  like  to  throttle  Memory  and  bury  her  in  a  deep  hole." 
Such  horrors  are  here  recalled,  that  I  live  again  through  those 
days  of  fear  and  torture;  and  again  is  stirred  within  me  the 
animosity  which  almost  drove  people  to  madness.  Yet  through 
it  all,  in  her  writing  of  and  depicting  the  time  and  scenes  in 
which  she  was  living,  Miss  LeGrand  preserves  her  dignity,  Chris 
tian  patience,  charity  and  endurance  —  writes  with  rare  force 
and  culture,  sorrows  most  for  the  human  heart  that  mocks  a 
fellow's  woe,  and  tramples  rights,  to  humiliate  those  already 
down-trodden  and  forlorn,  —  while  she  moralizes  and  discusses 
hard  problems  with  the  wisdom  of  a  sage.  To  the  citizens  of 
New  Orleans  who  bore  their  trials  so  nobly,  and  whom  neither 
threat  nor  bribery  could  move  from  their  loyalty  to  their  State, 
city  and  country,  this  JOURNAL  is  as  noble  a  monument  aa  could 
be  "raised. 

P.  148,  "Davis  was  a  partisan":  —  Miss  LeGrand  doubtless  came 
later  to  a  realization  of  the  unselfish  character  and  all-embracing 
patriotism  of  the  Confederate  President. 

P.  162,  "Capt.  Harry  Flash":—  Author  of  three  of  the  finest 
dirges  the  Southern  cause  produced  —  "Zollicoffer,  killed,  battle 
of  Somerset,  Ky.,  January  19th,  1862;"  "Polk,"  and  "Stonewall 
Jackson"  (see  "Southern  Poems  of  the  War,"  by  Emily  V. 
Mason,  Baltimore,  Md.,  Fifth  Edition,  1885). 

P.  176,  "The  Battle  of  the  Handkerchiefs":  —  This  poem  ap 
peared  in  Southern  newspapers  of  the  period  under  the  heading: 
"The  Greatest  Victory  of  the  War,  La  Bataille  des  Mouchoirs, 
Fought  Friday,  February  20,  1863,  By  Eugenie."  The  author 
ship,  it  is  believed,  has  never  been  revealed. 

P.  184,  "Dreux":  —  Capt.  Charles  D.  Dreux  commanded  the 
Orleans  Cadets  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  He  was  killed  at 
Young's  Mills,  Virginia,  July  5,  1861.  His  untimely  death 


316      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GEAND 

inspired  two  lyrics  to  his  memory  to  be  found  in  "The  Southern 
Poems  of  the  War,"  one  by  Mrs.  Marie  B.  Williams,  and  the 
other  by  James  R.  Randall,  who  calls  Dreux  The  rose  and  mirror 
of  the  bold  Creole. 

P.  202,  "Portland  Manor": — Up  to  the  time  this  JOURNAL 
was  written,  the  Croxalls  had  owned  in  Maryland  at  different 
periods  from  1729,  "Brother's  Generosity,"  left  to  Joanna  Carroll 
Croxall  by  the  will  of  her  brother,  James  Carroll,  in  Prince 
George  County,  "The  Range,"  in  the  same  county;  "Hempfield," 
"CroxalPs  Elbow  Room,"  and  "Garrison"  in  Baltimore  County; 
"Betsy's  Chance,"  "Woodhaim,"  and  "Poplar  Island"  in  Talbot 
County;  and  "Portland  Manor"  in  Anne  Arundel  County,  a  large 
tract  where  now  is  located  the  Pimlico  Race  Course,  besides  ten 
acres  of  ground  in  the  heart  of  Baltimore.  The  estates  men 
tioned  above  were  all  large,  comprising  hundreds  of  acres.  A.  B.  C. 
P.  221,  "The  separation  of  States  and  the  bloodshedding":  — 
Our  Confederate  strength  will  be  too  great  to  tempt  aggres 
sion,  and  never  was  there  a  people  whose  interests  and  principles 
committed  them  so  fully  to  a  peaceful  policy  as  those  of  the 
Confederate  States.  By  the  character  of  their  productions  they 
are  too  deeply  interested  in  foreign  commerce  wantonly  to  dis 
turb  it.  War  of  conquest  they  cannot  wage  because  the  Consti 
tution  of  their  Confederacy  admits  of  no  coerced  association. 
Civil  war  there  cannot  be  between  States  held  together  by  their 
volition  only.  Inaugural  Address  of  President  Davis,  Richmond, 
February  22d,  1862. 

P.  280,  "Dr.  Palmer's  letter": — Dr.  Benjamin  M.  Palmer,  of 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Rector  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  at  New  Orleans  for  many  years,  and  but  lately  (1910) 
dead.  He  was  a  distinguished  divine,  a  man  of  much  intellectual 
force,  and  universally  beloved. 

P.  281,  "Butler  had  vowed  to  humiliate  the  women  of  New 
Orleans": — His  infamous  Order  No.  28,  and  other  acts,  such  as 
the  execution  of  William  B.  Mumford,  led  President  Davis  to 
issue  a  proclamation  declaring  Butler  to  be  an  outlaw  and  a 
felon,  and  if  captured  he  should  be  instantly  hanged.  Butler  had 
taken  possession  of  New  Orleans  May  1,  1862.  He  was  super 
seded  by  General  Banks,  who  assumed  command  of  the  city 
December  17,  1862.  A.  B.  C. 


JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND      317 

THE  BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 

The  battle  of  New  Orleans  was  as  great  a  defeat  for  the 
Confederates  as  the  battle  of  Hampton  Roads  was  for  the  Fed 
erals.  But  when  we  come  to  consider  the  vast  inequality  between 
the  two  fleets,  a  more  desperate  engagement  was  not  fought 
during  the  war,  and  the  bravery  displayed  by  the  Confederate 
naval  officers  and  men  is  without  parallel  in  naval  history.  That 
the  reader  may  have  an  insight  into  the  odds  that  the  Confed 
erates  had  to  meet,  we  give  the  names  and  number  of  guns  as 
taken  from  Admiral  Farragut's  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
United  States  Navy : 

The  United  States  fleet  consisted  of  ship  Hartford,  26;  Brook 
lyn,  25;  Richmond,  22;  Pensacola,  25;  Portsmouth,  22;  Missis 
sippi,  12;  Oneida,  10;  Varuna,  10;  Katadid,  7;  Kineo,  4; 
Wissahickon,  4;  Pinola,  4;  Cayuga,  6;  Sciota,  3;  Iroquois,  8; 
Kennebec,  4;  Itasca,  4;  Winona,  4;  total,  18  ships  and  198 
guns.  This  was  the  fleet  that  ascended  the  river,  besides  twenty- 
one  schooners,  under  Porter,  mortar  boats,  which  had  incessantly 
bombarded  and  almost  wrecked  the  forts  before  Farragut  at 
tempted  to  turn  by  them  at  night. 

The  Confederate  fleet  consisted  of  the  Louisiana,  a  half-finished 
iron-clad,  without  steam  power  to  stem  the  Mississippi  current, 
eight  guns;  McRae,  river  steamer,  eight  guns;  Manassas,  a 
small  tin-plated,  so  to  speak,  ram,  too  small  to  do  much  ram 
ming,  one  gun;  Jackson,  small  river  steamer,  two  guns;  Launch 
No.  3,  three  guns,  and  Launch  No.  6,  one  gun;  Governor  Moore, 
river  steamer,  two  guns;  General  Quitman,  river  steamer,  two 
guns;  Anglo-Norman,  Defiance,  Stonewall  Jackson,  General 
Lovell,  Breckinridge  and  Warrior,  small  river  steamers,  one 
gun  each;  Resolute,  river  steamer,  two  guns.  Total  gunboats, 
15;  total  guns,  33. 

A  few  small  steamers  were  used  on  the  Confederate  side  to 
tow  fire  rafts.  The  whole  of  the  Confederate  fleet  was,  with 
perhaps  one  or  two  exceptions,  destroyed  either  by  the  enemy 
or  by  the  Confederates  to  prevent  them  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  On  the  18th  day  of  April,  1862,  the  mortar 
schooners  got  into  a  position  greatly  protected  from  the  guns 


318      JOURNAL  OF  JULIA  LE  GRAND 

of  the  forts,  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  and  opened  fire,  with  some 
firing  from  the  fleet,  as  Farragut  says,  only  to  divert  attention 
from  the  mortar  boats.  This  continued  without  intermission 
until,  as  General  Lovell  estimates,  over  seventy-five  thousand 
shells  were  thrown,  one-third  of  which  fell  inside  the  fort 
(Jackson).  Now,  under  this  terrific  fire,  Admiral  Farragut  put 
his  fleet  in  motion  at  1:55  on  the  morning  of  April  24,  1862,  and 
in  two  lines  steamed  up  the  river,  and,  as  he  says,  the  smoke 
was  so  dense  that  ships  could  not  be  discerned  at  a  very  short 
distance,  and  he  was  guided  entirely  by  the  flash  of  guns  to 
enable  him  to  locate  the  forts. 

In  this  state  of  affairs  it  was  hard  to  tell  friend  from  foe,  and 
several  Confederate  ships  received  shot  from  the  forts.  The 
chain  raft  had  been  washed  away  by  the  tremendous  freshet  then 
in  the  river.  The  fire  rafts  sent  down  to  destroy  the  enemy's 
ships  had  proved  failures,  and  the  fighting  was  every  ship  for 
itself  on  the  Confederate  side,  as  no  signals  could  be  seen.  Per 
haps  no  naval  battle  of  the  world  has  ever  been  fought  under 
such  circumstances  and  against  such  odds.  But  no  man  flinched. — 
Richmond  Times-Dispatch,  1908,  from  "The  Confederate  Navy," 
ly  W.  F.  Clayton. 


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